Alaska: A bill will allow citizens to vote to remove a Blaine Amendment from the state constitution but it may not have enough votes to pass (Anchorage Daily News, Anchorage Press). A mom says public education needs more money not school choice (Alaska Dispatch).

Arizona: House Democrats oppose expanding the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (Tucson Weekly). Proposed legislation may allow hundreds of thousands of Arizona students to become eligible for Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (Associated Press).

D.C.: Enrollment at St. Ann's Academy has fallen to 139 students so the Catholic diocese will shut down the school this fall (Washington Post).

Florida: A bill to expand the state's tax credit scholarship program passes out of the House Tax and Finance Committee (Sunshine State News, News Service of Florida, Associated Press, Gainesville Sun, Miami Herald). A Florida mom drives to Tallahassee to speak before the legislature about how much tax-credit scholarships mean to her and her family (redefinED). A Republican lawmaker wants to require all private school voucher students to take the state assessment (Tampa Bay Times, Sun Sentinel). A charter school in Broward County was nearly shut down after failing to obtain the proper building permits (Sun Sentinel). Frank Biden, the brother of Vice President Biden, advocates for charter schools (Post on Politics). A House panel proposes education savings accounts for special needs students (Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times). Rev. Robert Ward says tax credit scholarships help the poor (Tampa Bay Times). The school board in Palm Beach will consider a plan to allow full public school choice within the district (1230 AM WBZT, Sun Sentinel). Writer Julie Delegal says private school voucher students should take the state test because researchers can't compare different tests (Florida Today). Jon East from Step Up For Students says the debate on accountability is about which test to use (redefinED). The superintendent of Broward County Public Schools focuses on building bridges with the community and charter schools (Education Week).

Idaho: A bill to create tax credit scholarships advances in the House (Idaho Reporter). (more…)

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…)

Alabama: The Southern Poverty Law Center says school choice hurts students who can't leave their public school (Montgomery Advertiser).

Alaska: More Republicans sign on to support the governor's constitutional amendment proposal to allow public funding of private religious schools (Anchorage Daily News). You can pick your grocery store and you can pick your coffee shop, so why can't you pick your school (Alaska Dispatch, Alaska Daily News)?

Arizona: The state leads the nation with the newest school choice innovation: education savings accounts (Watchdog.org).

California: High Tech High charter school in San Diego wishes to buy a building owned by the local school district in order to open a new elementary charter school (Voice of San Diego). Parents unhappy with their local schools are using Parent Trigger to make changes (NationSwell).

D.C.:  City charter schools may soon be sharing space with district public schools (Washington Post).

Florida: 1.5 million students choose a school other than their assigned neighborhood school (redefinED). Catholic schools in Florida see small growth in enrollment for the second year in a row (Florida Times Union). A public boarding school for at-risk students prepares to open this fall (Miami Herald). The owners of a private, voucher-accepting school that abruptly closed its doors in Milwaukee have opened a similar school in Daytona Beach (News-Journal). House Speaker Will Weatherford wants to increase the number of low-income children allowed onto the state's tax-credit scholarship program as well as increase private school accountability (Tallahassee Democrat, Tampa Bay Times, Palm Beach Post, WFSU). Florida's high rate of return on its education investment may be due, in part, to the many diverse education options available to students, says William Mattox a research fellow at the James Madison Institute (Orlando Sentinel). The Manatee County School District holds a school choice fair to feature the district and charter schools in the area (Bradenton Herald). The city of Hollywood is pushing local district schools to market themselves better in order to lure students and families back into the schools (Sun Sentinel).

Idaho: More than 55,000 students attend charter schools, private schools or home schools in the state (Idaho Press). Renee McKenzie, president of the Coalition of Idaho Charter School Families, says every family deserves school choice (Idaho Press).

Illinois: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel addresses critics who said it was unfair to approve seven new charter schools while shutting down 47 public schools last year (Chicago Tribune).

Indiana: The state's voucher program more than doubles in size over last year (Indianapolis Star, Journal Gazette, Northwest Indiana Times). The number of voucher students who never attended public school increases (Indiana Business Journal, The Star Press, Indianapolis Daily Star). The editorial board for the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette wants voucher schools to follow the same rules as public schools. A proposed bill to allow private schools to use a state-approved standardized test rather than the state's official test is quickly rejected (Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis Star, JCOnline). School choice supporters in the state say the voucher, worth $4,700 this year, is too low for most private schools (State Impact). Robert Enlow, president of the Friedman Foundation, says parents should not be forced to send their kid to a public school before gaining access to vouchers (Indianapolis Daily Star). Critics of school choice argue that vouchers can't be used at private schools which teach creationism or intelligent design (Journal-Gazette). The senate passes a bill to allow charter schools for returning adult students (The Statehouse File). (more…)

Alaska: Gov. Parnell supports a constitutional amendment that allows the state to fund private schools (Anchorage Daily News). A DC radio show host says the Alaska constitution is clear in its prohibition on funding religious schools (Anchorage Daily News). Not all Republicans in Alaska agree with the governor's voucher proposal (News Miner).

Arizona: A critic says time is running out for charter schools to prove they are better than public schools (Education Week). Plans are underway to develop 25 new "A rated" charter schools in Phoenix by 2020 (AZfamily.com).

California: Rocketship's rapid expansion exposes growing pains (Education Week).

Colorado: Cyber charter schools in the state offer a viable education alternative (The Gazette).

D.C.: National School Choice Week kicks off in the nation's capital (Watchdog). District officials discuss taking over an embattled charter school for at-risk students after its founders are accused of fraud (Washington Post).

Delaware: A court order keeps a struggling all-girls charter school open for another year to avoid Title IX discrimination against girls (National Alliance for Public Charter Schools).

Georgia: National School Choice Week president Andrew Campenella says the state is a model for school choice (Augusta Chronicle). Parents need expanded school choice options in the state (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

Florida: One of the state's best science teachers works in a charter school (redefinED). Auditors say five charter schools in Broward County are in the red (Sun-Sentinel). The sponsor of a charter school bill in the state legislature is also dean at a college run by the state's largest for-profit charter school management company (Miami Herald).

Illinois: The Chicago Tribune editorial board argues for more high-quality charter schools. Chicago Reader columnist Ben Jorvasky is an opponent of charter schools but says they've become "untouchable" with allies like Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The Chicago Board of Education approves just seven of the 17 charter school applications but charter school opponents are still mad (Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Huffington Post, NBC Chicago). A panel of school choice and charter school critics say "charter schools don't make the grade" (Beacon News). (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 state's new tax-credit scholarship program has nearly reached the $25 million cap (AL.com). A councilman of Birmingham says the Alabama Accountability Act must be repealed (AL.com).

Alaska: The state should abolish the Blaine Amendment and allow private school vouchers (Daily News Miner).

Arizona: Education reformers plan to rapidly expand the Education Savings Accounts program if the state Supreme Court approves (Arizona Daily Sun). The Arizona Daily Sun editorial board takes a stand against expanding Education Savings Accounts, instead arguing that the state should spend more money on traditional public schools. A Republican state senator owns businesses that have financial dealings with his own tax-credit scholarship organization (CBS 5).

California: Gloria Romero, a Democrat and former state senator, argues school choice is a parent's right (OC Register). Some public schools that convert to charters are seen as charter schools in name only (Seattle Times, Joanne Jacobs). Market competition leads to collaboration in L.A public school choice (EdSource). The California Charter Schools Association calls for the closure of a low-performing charter school managed by UC Davis, Sacramento City College and the Washington Unified School District (Sacramento Bee). Will the state embrace charter schools (San Diego Tribune)? San Diego earns low scores on the Brookings Institution's school choice index (Press Telegram).

D.C.: Thousands of parents attend a school choice convention to find the right school for their child (Washington Post). Democracy Prep, a charter school from New York City, will be taking over an Imagine charter school in the district (Washington Post).

Delaware: A judge blocks the closure of an all girls charter school on 14th Amendment grounds (Education Week).

Florida: Four school districts in the state rank in the top 25 for school choice according to a new Brookings Institution report (redefinED). Virtual charter schools grow (redefinED). The Duval County School District holds an expo to advertise public school choice options to parents (Action News Jacksonville). Legislators propose two competing charter school bills, one creating a standardized contract to make it easier to form charter schools and the other to require surety bonds before a charter school can open (Sun-Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times). Another proposed bill would allow charter schools to share space with district schools (Miami Herald).

Georgia: New rules require charter schools to score as well as or better than the state and district averages on the state's 110 point grading scale, or risk having their charters revoked (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

Illinois: An op-ed writer says Chicago has too much school choice (Chicago Business). Six Catholic elementary schools are slated to close by next year (Chicago Tribune).

Louisiana: Gov. Bobby Jindal asks the court to reconsider the decision to allow federal monitoring of the voucher program to ensure racial balance (Times-Picayune). The U.S. Department of Justice is asking the court for the power to veto any voucher award (Cato Institute, National Review, Catholic Online). A state panel suggests a new way to fund the Course Choice program (Shreveport Times). New Orleans tops the Brookings Institution's school choice index (Watchdog). School choice empowers parents (Business Report). New Orleans shows how urban districts can create real achievement growth through school choice (US News and World Report). (more…)

Alabama:  Former Gov. Bob Riley becomes chairman of the Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund (Southeast Sun, Education Week). Step Up for Students President Doug Tuthill sets the record straight regarding false accusations about the program (AL.com).

California: Money may be the real motivator behind charter school conversions (Education Week, Hechinger Report). A man pleads guilty to stealing $7.2 million by establishing fake charter schools (Seattle PI). A charter school in LA partners with homeschool parents (Education Week).

D.C.: An official at the DC Charter School Board is accused of accepting $150,000 to help managers of Options Charter School avoid oversight (Washington Post).

Florida: More students than ever use tax-credit scholarships to attend private schools (Tampa Bay Times). The number of charter schools has tripled in Pinellas County over the last five years (Tampa Bay Times). Julie Young, president of Florida Virtual School, says virtual schools are sustainable and accountable (News Press). Florida Virtual School offers students flexibility if they need it (Watchdog). A Polk County charter school applicant appeals to the state, arguing the local district's rejection was arbitrary and "disrespectful" (The Ledger).

Georgia: School choice is more than just test scores (News-Times). Some Georgia lawmakers want charter schools to help pay for public school pension debt (Cherokee Tribune).

Idaho: A nature-oriented charter school becomes Blaine County's first charter (Magic Valley Times-News).

Illinois: Charter school critics in Chicago still oppose charter schools after the board takes community input from supporters and opponents alike (Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader).

Indiana: The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette gives former state superintendent of public instruction Tony Bennett an "F" grade.

Kentucky: School choice leads to more local control and more fiscal responsibility says Jim Waters, president of the Bluegrass Institute (Paducah Sun).

Louisiana: Columnist James Gill says private schools which teach creationism should be banned from accepting vouchers (The Advocate). The state auditor says vouchers do not ensure a quality education for students (Daily World, The Town Talk, Education Week). Gov. Bobby Jindal criticizes the Justice Department's report on vouchers and racial segregation (The Advocate). A school choice opponent argues that choosing a school is too difficult so it shouldn't be an option (The Advertiser). A group in Lafayette forms to oppose charter schools (The Advertiser). (more…)

Alabama: $19.5 million in tax credit donations have been made to scholarship organizations (Yellowhammer News).

Arizona: A public school district leader says "choice is here to stay" and argues school districts need to highlight options available to students (Arizona Capital Times). Wealthier public schools may be getting a much larger benefit from the tax-credit donation program (Arizona Republic, KTAR). A study by the Goldwater Institute found that district schools were converting to charter schools for the monetary benefits and not to offer new options to students (Sonoran News).

California: Support school choice, the gift that keeps on giving (Capital News and Views). The California Charter School Association calls for the closure of six charter schools for poor performance (National Alliance for Public Charter Schools).

D.C.: Black, low-income and disabled students attending charter schools outperform their peers in traditional district schools (Washington Post).

Florida: The state's virtual high school earns a B (Orlando Sentinel). A Hebrew charter school gets approval in Hollywood (Miami Herald). Miami-Dade rejects a North Miami charter school application because the school would compete with district schools that recently received $200 million in renovations (Miami Herald).

Hawaii: Charter schools are good but they need better oversight (Star Advertiser).

Idaho: An online technical charter school plans to open in the state (Idaho Statesman). A popular charter school plans to expand into high school grades over the objections of the local school district (Statesman Review).

Illinois: Last year Chicago closed 52 schools but now charter schools wish to open in the district (Chicago Sun-Times). The Chicago Sun-Times supports charter schools, but worries that too many charter school openings may harm already cash strapped school districts. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visits a Chicago area public school but refuses to answer comments about 21 potential charter schools wishing to open in the city (Chicago Sun-Times). To improve education in Chicago the money has to follow the student and parents must be able to pick the school (Chicago Tribune).

Indiana: The Kokomo Tribune believes the public needs access to information about how voucher dollars are spent, including the names of students and their scholarship award amounts. Christel House, the charter school at the center of the Tony Bennet grading scandal, sees its grade drop from an A to an F (Indianapolis Star).

Louisiana: A state auditor says the government doesn't provide enough information about private schools to voucher parents, while 41 percent of schools received improper payments (Education Week, Times-Picayune, Times-Picayune, The Advocate, Shreveport Times). The state releases a database on participating private voucher schools (Times-Picayune). Editorial writers argue vouchers are no guarantee of quality education and that schools need more regulation (The Advocate, The Advertiser). The U.S. Department of Justice's voucher suit could end up making segregation worse (Daily Caller). Recovery School District will be the nation's first all-charter school district in the 2014-15 school year (Times-Picayune). Charter schools refusing to rejoin their old school districts may signal distrust in locally elected school boards (The Lens). Journalists covering the voucher audit missed one important story: the program is growing rapidly (The Advocate). Two New Orleans area public schools are accused of cherry-picking their own students (Hechinger Report).

(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: A charter school must repay $4.7 million in fees due to an inflated full-time enrollment count (Arizona Daily Sun). Charter schools are seeking $135 million in additional funding because they receive $1,100 per pupil less than traditional district schools (Arizona Daily Sun).

Florida: A state senator wants to restrict charter schools to specialized areas not currently served by district schools (The Florida Current). Charter schools learn to work with new transparency and open records rules (Daytona Beach News Journal). Homeschool students registered with private schools face fewer regulations ( WFSU). Florida has the third highest number of for-profit charter schools in the U.S. (Tampa Bay Times).

Georgia: Parents in Fulton County want school choice (Atlanta Journal-Constitution). The state isn't monitoring how charter schools spend public funds (Associated Press).

Louisiana: The state and U.S. Department of Justice must come up with an agreement to monitor the voucher program within 60 days (Heartlander). School choice wins, sort of, after DOJ changes its lawsuit to ask the court to approve transparency policies over the program (Huffington Post, Washington Times, The Christian Post, The Advocate). Forty-five percent of the students in Louisiana's voucher program attend a private school that is rated D or F (Times-Picayune).

Indiana: Charter schools in Indianapolis, thanks to the help of the mayor, will expand and grow next year (Chalk Beat). Indiana experienced a five-fold increase in vouchers and some schools now enroll a majority of voucher students (WNDU). A school board member in New Castle asks "who is profiting from vilifying" public schools (Courier Times)?

Massachusetts: A Catholic private school must raise $500,000 by June 2014 or the school will be shut down due to dwindling enrollment and rising costs (CBS Boston). (more…)