Alaska: A lack of capital funding impedes charter school growth in the state (Anchorage Daily News). Gov. Sean Parnell wants to allow charter schools to have access to district transportation funds (KTUU, Associated Press). School choice will benefit rural students (Juneau Empire).

Arizona: A former high school teacher says vouchers for private tuition are like privately run prison systems (Ahwataukee Foothills News).

California: A virtual school student wins a school video contest sponsored by the White House (The Cambrian).

D.C.: Rocketship charter schools expand to the city (Education Week).

Florida: House Speaker Will Weatherford releases a bill to expand the tax-credit scholarship program (The Ledger, News 13, Tampa Bay Times, Associated Press, WEAR TV). School choice gets support from the Jewish community in south Florida (Jewish Journal). Private schools and parents may not want to take the FCAT (Orlando Sentinel). A lecturer at the University of Central Florida says private schools accepting tax credit scholarships should administer standardized tests to students (note: the law already requires tax credit scholarship students to take national norm-referenced standardized tests) (Orlando Sentinel). The Orlando Sentinel editorial board says private school scholarship students should take standardized tests (state law already requires tax-credit scholarship students to take norm-referenced standardized tests). So does the South Florida Sun Sentinel editorial board. The Tampa Tribune supports the expansion. Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano says tax-credit scholarships have no accountability and reduce public school per-pupil spending. Charter Schools USA operates 34 schools in the state, but one "F" and one "D" rated school encouraged Orange and Seminole County school districts to repeatedly deny applications to expand (Orlando Sentinel). Broward County school superintendent Robert Runcie collaborates with charter schools (Education Week). (more…)

Alaska: Not all Republicans agree on changing the constitution to allow private school vouchers for students to attend religious schools (Anchorage Daily News, Education Week). Could private schools discriminate based on religious beliefs if they accept public funds (Anchorage Daily News)? The editorial board of the Anchorage Daily News argues that the constitutional amendment to allow public funding of private schools should be vetted in the state's education committee.

Arizona: A proposed bill in the state legislature will allow students eligible for free- and reduced-price lunch access to Empowerment Scholarship Accounts and increase the household income cap by 15 percent per year (East Valley Tribune, Arizona Daily Sun). Opponents of school choice are upset that the state superintendent is making low-income parents aware of all of their educational options, including the right to attend a private school (Arizona Republic, Washington Post, Tucson Weekly, Tucson Weekly).

Arkansas: Americans United for the Separation of Church and State complains about two charter schools teaching creationism in biology class (Arkansas Times).

California: The superintendent of LA public schools speaks favorably of school choice (Joanne Jacobs). The state leads the nation in charter school growth and enrollment (Contra Costa Times). The school district in San Diego makes requirements for charter schools more difficult if the charters want access to public construction dollars approved by voters (The Voice of San Diego). A city employee who vandalized a public school, which was being taken over by a charter school, may lose her job (Hechinger Report).

Connecticut: Public support grows for a new charter school in Bridgeport (Connecticut Post).

Florida: After failing to get a public middle school built in the neighborhood, parents in Woodville now support a proposed charter middle school (Tallahassee Democrat). Some members of the Florida legislature want to add a FCAT testing requirement to school choice students (Orlando Sentinel). The state saw the 4th highest growth in charter school enrollment nationwide (Palm Beach Post). School choice and civil rights takes center stage at a debate on education (South Florida Times). The Palm Beach Post editorial board favors requiring charter schools to post a $250,000 bond in case they close or are shut down. U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) visits a private school serving low-income tax-credit scholarship students to talk about school choice (redefinED, Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Tribune, Creative Loafing). Potential changes to the state's tax-credit program may be coming, including partial scholarships and sales tax credits (Tampa Bay Times). The state's tax credit scholarship program provides opportunities to disadvantaged students in the state (WEAR TV). (more…)

Alabama: The state releases the new list of "failing schools" where assigned students may seek transfers to other public or private schools (Education Week). The Birmingham Public School District seeks waivers from the state to allow some schools to operate more like charters (AL.com).

Alaska: Will 2014 be the year school choice reaches Alaska (Peninsula Clarion)?

Arizona: A school board member in Gilbert hopes to create a voucher program modeled after the one in Douglas Co., Colo. (AZ Central). A charter school organization plans 25 new schools for low-income areas in south and central Phoenix (New York Times, Center for Education Reform).

Arkansas: In response to a charter school controversy in Texas, the state education commissioner states that charter schools in the state must follow state science standards (Arkansas Times).

California: The state misses out on an opportunity for school choice (OC Register). Two leaders of a group resisting efforts to convert a public school into a charter school plead 'not guilty' to charges of vandalism (LA Times).

Connecticut: Parents attend a public school choice fair but some critics argue that school choice leads to more inequality for those left behind (The Connecticut Mirror).

D.C.: A judge rules that defendants, in a case involving a charter school run afoul of the D.C. Nonprofit Corporations Act, will not be dismissed (Washington Post).

Florida: Founders of an abruptly shuttered private school in Milwaukee turn up in Florida with a new private school (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). The Brookings Institution gave Polk County a "C" rank on school choice  (The Ledger). A public boarding school for underserved children school operated by the SEED Foundation plans to open this fall (redefinED). With a looming fiscal crisis ahead, Florida can't ease up on education reform (redefinED). Lee County will allow free private tutoring to return to the district (News-Press).

Illinois: The editorial board of the Chicago Tribune says "it's time for school choice." Two charter schools with ties to Rahm Emmanuel are up for approval (Sun Times).

Iowa: A majority of residents favor school choice (Toledo News-Herald).

Indiana: A bill circulating in the state legislature would allow charter schools to cater to adult high school education (Indiana Business Journal). For some reason, vouchers for pre-k has not become a 'controversial' issue in the state (WLFI). The nationwide nonprofit Goodwill opens a charter school for dropouts (NPR). (more…)

Alabama: The National School Choice Week nationwide whistle stop tour is making a trip to Alabama (AL.com).

Arizona: The state superintendent of public instruction urges the state supreme court to uphold the constitutionality of education savings accounts (Arizona Daily Sun). District officials in Prescott worry a new charter school will take away its best and brightest students (Daily Courier).

California: Parents in Los Angeles are getting more active in education issues, thanks to the help of civil rights groups, and they are helping decide school budgets and make leadership choices (LA Times).

Connecticut: The Stamford area school district is looking to build a new magnet school to solve overcrowding issues (Stamford Advocate).

Delaware: The Indian River School District will be initiating an advertising campaign aimed at retaining students in the district (Sussex Countian).

Florida: Julie Young, the CEO of Florida Virtual School, says FLVS does not "flunk" in its job to teach kids (Tallahassee Democrat). Miami-area magnet schools don't provide a lot of information about themselves, frustrating some parents looking at school choices (Miami Herald). Florida's budget is going to get sandwiched by a growing number of students and retirees unless the education system can improve enough to produce a more productive workforce (redefinED). The city of West Palm Beach is looking to start and run its own charter school to attract residents but one journalist doesn't think that is fair (Palm Beach Post). The Hillsborough County School District recommends an initial "no vote" on a proposed charter school at MacDill Air Force Basel but the school board will make the final call this week (redefinED, redefinED, Tampa Tribune, Tampa Bay Times). Reporting news from across the pond can be tough, but the British newspaper reports "right wing" groups plan to push for vouchers in Florida (the state already has tuition tax-credits and vouchers for pre-kindergarten and special needs kids (The Guardian).

Georgia: The superintendent in Fulton County endorses public school choice for parents (Heartlander).

Indiana: Gov. Mike Pence wants pre-k vouchers (Indianapolis Star). (more…)

Arizona: The Friedman Foundation profiles the parents utilizing the new Education Scholarship Account (ESA) program (Center for Education Reform). What is the difference between a district school and a charter school? A school district official explains (Daily Courier).

Colorado: Amendment 66 will increase taxes and add $950 million in funding to public education but also bring charter school funding nearly up to par with the traditional district school (New York Times, Durango Herald). Krista Kafer, the director of Colorado's Future Project, says spending more money on education isn't enough and the state needs innovation like school choice (Denver Post). Jeb Bush and Michael Bloomberg make big donations to the Denver and Douglas County school board races to support school choice candidates (Denver Post).

Connecticut: School officials in Hartford recommend the low achieving Clark Elementary School be converted into an Achievement First charter school (Hartford Courant).

D.C.: Romona Edelin, executive director of the D.C. Association of Chartered Public Schools, believes charter schools have revived public education in the District (Afro.com).

Florida: Gov. Rick Scott honors a private school teacher working at a Jewish school that serves 160 students from the tax-credit scholarship program (Sun Sentinel). Florida Virtual School has seen declining enrollments but its district-run franchises are seeing growth (redefinED). The Orange County School District is investigating a charter school which threatened to expel students if they failed the FCAT (Miami Herald).

Georgia: The new charter school commission approves one application and denies seven during its first meeting (Atlanta NPR, Forsyth News). The Georgia Charter School Association says that charter schools in the state are doing slightly better than traditional schools on most standardized tests (WABE 90.1 FM).

Idaho: Rural school teachers are turning to blending learning to supplement their instruction (Education Week).

Louisiana: The court hears the U.S. Department of Justice's arguments on why parents should not be allowed to intervene in the DOJ's anti-voucher case (Associated Press). The court ordered the DOJ to turn over documents related to segregation court orders over the last 40 years but the DOJ says the request is too burdensome and requests a delay (Times Picayune). The DOJ is trying to end a voucher program that helps minorities and reduces segregation (City Journal). Charter schools operating as "alternative schools" serve a very different student population and the state is still trying to figure out how to assess their effectiveness (The Advocate). (more…)

Alabama: The state court will allow three parents to defend the new school choice program against a lawsuit from the Alabama Education Association that seeks to overturn it (Tuscaloosa News).

Arizona: GEICO donates $8 million to the state's corporate tuition tax credit scholarship program (Arizona Daily Star).

Colorado: Education reformers in Douglas County are facing re-election again union backed candidates who want to roll back school choice (Denver Post)

D.C.: Academy of Hope starts a charter school to prepare adults for the workforce (Elevation).

Florida: A high-profile St. Petersburg charter school is facing growing pains while it looks for a new principal and plans to open another campus across the bay in Tampa (Tampa Bay Times).

Indiana:  A Columbus area charter school is short $250,000 after an unsuccessful capital campaign, a state funding cut and enrollment drop, and the school may be forced to close (Associated Press). Kevin Chavous, chairman of Democrats for Education Reform, says school choice needs bipartisan support (Indianapolis Star).

Iowa: Joy Pullmann, editor of School Choice News, says Iowa students would benefit from vouchers or expanded tax-credit scholarships (Des Moines Register).

Louisiana: WNBA basketball star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie is a school choice advocate (The Advocate). The state superintendent of public instruction gets a tour of the new Course Choice virtual school program (The Times-Picayune). Enrollment in the voucher program is up 38 percent despite the U.S. Department of Justice's misguided (and incorrect) lawsuit (The Times-Picayune, Associated Press). The DOJ is trying to prevent parents from defending the school voucher legislation in court (Education Week, National Review). Republican senators question the DOJ lawsuit (The Times-Picayune). A new documentary, "Rebirth" examines the post-Katrina New Orleans school system (Education Week). School performance is up and the number of low performing schools is down in New Orleans (The Times-Picayune, The Advocate). (more…)

Alabama: The state files documents to dismiss the Southern Poverty Law Center's suit against the new school choice program (Al.com).

Florida: A new private school specializing in special needs education will open in Sarasota, with the state's McKay scholarship program funding the $11,000 to $17,000 a year tuition (Bradenton Herald). After five years of declining enrollment, Catholic schools in Palm Beach County are seeing a rebound in student enrollment (Sun-Sentinel).

Indiana: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks at a church in Indianapolis and calls for more options for students (Indianapolis Star).

Kentucky: With nearly 10,000 students, the Catholic Diocese of Covington would be the third largest school district in northern Kentucky.  The diocese would like to see a tax-credit scholarship program for low-income students (Cincinnati.com).

Louisiana: The Department of Justice's lawsuit to block the voucher program is based on the enrollment of 570 of the 8,000 voucher students located in 22 districts under federal desegregation orders (Education Week, Washington Times, The Advocate). Gov. Bobby Jindal aired television ads slamming the anti-voucher lawsuit (Associated Press).

Maine: Three charter schools in the state claim success with their special needs student population (MPBN).

Mississippi: The state's new charter school board will operate on 3 percent of the revenue collected from authorized charters but the board has no charter schools yet and the state didn't appropriate a starting budget (Clarion Ledger, Fordham Institute).

North Carolina: The Charlotte area sees strong growth in charter school enrollment and has piqued the interest of more charter school operators (Charlotte Observer). Minority Democrats in the state legislature took a bold step supporting school choice, says Robert Danos, a former spokesman for the 11th District GOP (Blue Ridge Now). (more…)

Alabama: 719 students transfer schools under the new school choice law, with 52 attending private schools (AL.com, Dothan Eagle).

California: AB 917 will make it even harder to convert a public school to a charter school. Currently the law requires half of all teachers to approve the conversion but the new bill would require half of all employees - regardless of whether they teach students - to approve the conversion (Fox and Hound Daily). California charter schools are turning to grants to stay afloat and afford capital expenses (Fresno Bee).

Indiana: The state attorney general issues an opinion which states special education voucher students attending private schools can continue to receive special needs services from local public schools (Courier Journal). A new report ranks Indiana No. 1 for education reform (Eagle Country Online). A faith-based alternative private school has been approved to accept voucher students, but only one student will apply for a voucher since the state already paid for the education of the other students (Chronicle-Tribune).

Louisiana: Some school choice students face an hour-long bus ride to school, but their parents say it's well worth it (The Advocate). The state files to delay the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against the fledgling voucher program (The Advocate, Times-Picayune).

Massachusetts: More than 40,000 students are on wait-lists for charter schools and the Boston Herald editorial staff weighs in, blaming  the size of the wait-list on Democrats who caved to pressure from charter school opponents and created artificial barriers to enrollment and growth (Boston Herald). (more…)

Illinois: The Chicago Teachers Union and privately-run charter schools railed against potential district funding cuts (Chicago Tribune). Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration  will partially restore funding to the United Neighborhood Organization so the charter school operator can finish a new soccer academy high school by this fall (Chicago Tribune).

Arizona: The Senate approves the expansion of a school choice program that adds kindergartners and increases funding for students who leave charter  schools for private schools (Associated Press). More from the Arizona Daily Star. The legislature passed a bill expanding the type of corporations eligible to participate as donors in the state's tax credit scholarship program and streamlined the approval process (Cato Institute).

Louisiana: Lawmakers find new funding stream for voucher program (Education Week). More from the Associated Press.

Indiana: A new state law will give high-performing school districts or schools more flexibility in designing their own curriculum, professional programs and schedules (Indianapolis Star). Another new law limits how much state aid charter schools can receive to target adult drop0outs (Associated Press).

Wisconsin: Wauwatosa School District officials protest the opening of an independent charter school in the city because it could directly compete with them for students and state funds (Journal Sentinel). Gov. Scott Walker says he is comfortable with the slow expansion of the school voucher program (Associated Press). Critics of the statewide school voucher expansion continue calling attention to campaign donations given to Sen. Alberta Darling, co-chair  of the committee that recommended the start of the expansion (Wisconsin Public Radio). State Superintendent Tony Evers speaks out against the state budget proposal to expand the voucher school system (Journal Sentinel). A traditional elementary school starts a special program for gifted students with great success (Education News).

Maine: Senate Democrats pass a bill that gives communities more input and control over approval of charter schools, but there still are more hurdles (Morning Sentinel).

Florida: Nearly every teacher and parent at Rowlett Magnet Elementary voted to go forward with plans for a charter conversion school (redefinED). (more…)

Illinois: Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign into law a bill that sets aside 33 percent of the enrollment at charter schools for children with parents assigned to federal military bases (Lake County Journal).

New York: The successful True North Rochester Prep charter school group plans to expand to serve 2,600 students (Democrat and Chronicle).

New Jersey: Newark's charter schools network receives $10 million from national donors including the Walton Foundation and the Doris and Donald Fisher Fund (Newark Patch). A proposed state takeover of the Camden school district could result in an all-charter district or a radically restructured one (Education Week). Debate continues on Gov. Chris Christie's school voucher program (NJ Spotlight). The state education department blocks the opening of two virtual charter schools with ties to K12, Inc. (Star-Ledger).

Michigan: Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences' CEO, Maurice Morton, says the charter school has had its share of success and failure, much like any public school (BET).

Maine: Bangor City Council considers a moratorium on charter schools, citing the negative effects of competition on the local school district (Bangor Daily News). Lawmakers pass a bill requiring charter schools to be run by nonprofits (Bangor Daily News). The Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill that would put a temporary moratorium on virtual charter schools (Portland Press Herald). The charter school commission considers a year moratorium on charter applications after noting the time-consuming work monitoring the five charters it already approved (Morning Sentinel).

Pennsylvania: The Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit, a school choice program, aims to raise at least $1 million by July 1, with donations starting to add up (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The House Education Committee passed legislation that prevents charter schools from double dipping in pension funds from the district and the state, and increases the tax credit program funding from $25 million to $125 million (Patriot-News). More from the York Dispatch. State charter school leaders joined Philadelphia's call for more state education funding (NewsWorks). 2016 GOP presidential candidate Rand Paul set to give commencement speech at Philadelphia charter school (Washington Examiner).

Mississippi: House Speaker Philip Gunn predicts one of the most heavily-debated education reform measures next year in the Legislature will be tax credit scholarships (Northeast Mississippi News). (more…)