Walton Foundation releases 2010 education donations, a third for ‘shaping public policy’

Charter school champion The Walton Foundation has released its 2010 giving breakdown for the group’s education donations. Seven geographic areas received money: Albany, Denver, East and South Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Newark and Washington, D.C. Though the city of New Orleans received roughly $5 million of the Wal-Mart-related organization’s $157 million in education philanthropy for the past year, many non-profits that have a hand in the city’s school landscape were also recipients of Walton largesse.

Libertarian research paper finds top-funded charter schools not worth the money

Billions of private dollars have forced journalists and lawmakers to take seriously the school choice movement, be it voucher programs and tax credits, charter schools and reforms to teachers contracts within traditional public schools. Their money is highly strategic as well, with funds being poured into non-profits and research facilities that pursue the educational conceptions these wealthy donors promote.

Hearing on state of charter schools exemplifies divisiveness of issue

The House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a June 1 hearing on the state of charter schools in America. The testimony and series of questions and answers spanned nearly three hours, covering topics like charter school accreditation processes, the increased role of private management firms in operating local charter schools and the difficulty of scaling successful charter schools to address state-specific and national needs.

Norton wins over Tea Partiers with call to eliminate Department of Education

Former Lt. Governor Jane Norton said she was spurred to try to win Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet’s U.S. Senate seat by what she sees as the dramatic expansion of government in the Obama era. In stump speeches, emails and interviews, she has vowed to work to cut federal spending as a way to end the “government takeover” of the private sector. One of the ways Norton proposes to trim spending is to eliminate the federal Department of Education. That dramatic proposal has predictably shocked members of the left-leaning Colorado politics-blogosphere, but it also surprised at least one conservative member of the small crowd gathered two weeks ago at the Lamplighter restaurant in Alamosa, where Norton reportedly first unveiled the proposal.

More allegations of school misconduct

Last night, the Denver Public School District seized hard drives from the Contemporary Learning Academy, in order to investigate allegations that the school set up “dummy classrooms” with “dummy students.”

The alleged misconduct would have increased government funding to the…

Colorado charter school gone bad

Everybody loves charter schools these days, from the Gates Foundation to researchers.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan likes charter schools so much he has made them a cornerstone of his education reform plan, requiring schools to lift…

Federal Race to the Top education program suffers criticism, but not in Colorado

Does the Race to the Top—Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s $4.3 billion education reform contest among the states—handicap rural states?

Rural states like Vermont think so and their governor’s offices have responded with strong criticism. So why does Colorado’s governor seem…

How to fund education? Unity and brinksmanship

Senate lawmakers on the left and right came together Thursday to fund more schools in Denver, passing Senate Bill 256. It was a remarkable feat but it may be overshadowed by the big-time poker game the Joint Budget Committee began dealing out Wednesday, which could cost already strapped higher education in the state roughly $400 million. The committee threatened to cut $300 million in state funds, which would automatically disqualify Colorado for $100 million more in federal stimulus cash.

I Like Charter Schools. Kinda. Sorta

I peeked in on my slumbering toddler one last time before I went to bed. As usual, Andrea was clutching her prized possession – a well-worn copy of “The Cat in the Hat” with which she had taught herself to…

Rep. Carroll: Support of Charter Schools Is a Progressive Position

Last month, Rep. Mike Merrifield (D-Colorado Springs) resigned as chair of the House Education Committee after an inflammatory email of his leaked.  In the email, he stated “There must be a special place in Hell for these Privatizers,…