Texas: Recent political appointments show more stars lining up for vouchers in the next legislative session. (Houston Chronicle)

Michigan: Parent Revolution leader Ben Austin criticizes a parent trigger proposal in Michigan because for-profit charter schools would be among the options parents could select for a school turnaround. (Education Week)

Florida: School boards pass resolution after resolution against Amendment 8, which they think will open the door to more private school vouchers.

New Jersey: An Episcopal school in Newark becomes the first to convert to a charter school under a new law opposed by some Catholic leaders. (NJ.com)

Tennessee: Vouchers are an issue in legislative races, with some Republicans lukewarm about the idea (timesfreepress.com). Some charter schools in Memphis get rent-free school buildings, while others have to pay for their own space (Memphis Commercial Appeal).

Maine: The state's first charter schools open. (Associated Press)

Georgia: Some school board members complain the Georgia School Boards Association's opposition to a charter school ballot initiative has gone too far. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) (more…)

Who won the strike in Chicago?

Charter schools.

While the nation watched, story after story noted the obvious – that while 350,000 traditional public school students were displaced for more than a week, thousands of charter school students were in class. Even better, news coverage gave the general public a better idea of what charter schools really are.

“We were certainly disappointed that the strike happened, because I think it was a failure of adults to serve kids,” Stacy McAuliffe, chief operating officer of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, said in the redefinED podcast below. But, she added, "I think it caused a lot of people to say, ‘Wait a minute. What are charter schools? A lot of people were asking, 'So wait, are they public schools?’ And it gave us a chance to really remind people yes, they’re public schools. They’re open enrollment. There’s no tuition. There’s no academic requirement. And yet, they’re open right now.”

Charter schools weren’t part of contract negotiations, but their rapid expansion in Chicago has stoked tensions between the district and teachers union. Charter enrollment has risen from about 20,000 in 2007 to 53,000 now. And the district is pushing for another 60 charters – up from 119 campuses now - in the next five years.

Still, the goal is quality, not quantity, McAuliffe said. She offered two definitions of success.

“One is, there’s a high quality seat for a child to sit in today at a charter school. And I think the charter movement is nimble and growing and can provide that in short order relative to a big bureaucracy like CPS,” she said. “The other is, that new models and innovations are being piloted and tried and demonstrated that then push the broader education sector to change.”

“Some of the policy issues that were on the table during the strike are things that the Chicago charter movement has been at the forefront of innovation on for a decade,” she continued. “So longer day, longer year, principal autonomy in hiring and firing, and teacher evaluations – all of those things are things that charters have been doing quietly for 10 or 15 years. And that have now broadened to be a part of the public education debate.”

McAuliffe also offered her take on why teachers, too, are increasingly choosing alternatives like charters instead of traditional public schools: “If you’re a teacher that wants to work in a place that’s a little more entrepreneurial, a little more where you have some room to grow in terms of, ‘I have an idea, I’d like to see it play out,’ charter schools are more fertile ground.”

Chicago: The teachers union strike is over, but it highlights a growing rift within the Democratic Party over school choice and education reform (Christian Science Monitor). Mayor Rahm Emanuel can now focus on expanding charter schools (Chicago Tribune). (Image from louisville.com)

Florida: The state teachers union sinks $1 million into the campaign over a constitutional amendment that has little to do with education (redefinED). Republican Gov. Rick Scott and a Democratic candidate for Congress make a joint appearance at a new charter school (redefinED). The latest enrollment numbers show school choice in Florida has become mainstream (redefinED). The Volusia school superintendent recommends the school board reject all nine applications for new charter schools next year (Daytona Beach News Journal).

Maine: A task force begins considering legislative proposals for expanding school choice. (Kennebec Journal)

Virginia: A Richmond charter school welcomes a critique from school district officials. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Tennessee: State education officials fine the Nashville school district $3.4 million for denying a charter school application. (Education Week)

Michigan: Lawmakers are set to discuss parent trigger legislation. (MLive.com) (more…)