If only it were that easy.

The reality is that these chiefs – regardless of their interests, their power and their ideological leanings – cannot do any better than those in power before NCLB was enacted unless the incentives for change — and the consequences — are no longer voluntary.

True, we have witnessed a sea change with respect to state education policy at the hands of great Governors and school chiefs over time, only to then watch helplessly as it all turned around at the conclusion of a disappointing election cycle. NCLB was intended to finally shake up a system seemingly impervious to change in all but a few pockets of the country. It wasn’t a perfect law. No law is. It relied upon people of varied interests to respond to the challenge and the consequences clearly set forth.

Because of NCLB, we have learned more each year about the dismal state of education through data that, for the first time, was publicly available and disaggregated for all to see.

For decades, student achievement was masked behind the averaged results of a school – results that really meant very little. Good schools had money. Bad schools were impoverished. That’s what the public — and the policymakers — thought. NCLB data-demands unearthed real achievement data — and helped us to throw away the excuses that created a persistent achievement gap.

But instead of responding to the challenge (as we learned more and more each year about the dismal state of education) school districts and Supers began to fight back. They claimed they were being forced into a cookie cutter mode of education (which we’d been in for decades already) and we, the public, bought it. They said they had to teach to the test — teachers, school boards, Republicans and Democrats alike adopted this sentimental favorite turn of phrase to bend public opinion against the pressure to deliver results coming from DC.

And instead of holding the line, we now have states that really believe they could do better if they just had flexibility? Flexibility without a performance requirement? Flexibility without any consequence for failure?

It’s the ultimate ego trip. “I can do it better.”

History suggests otherwise.

Obama Tells Students: Discover New Passions
Washington Post, DC, September 28, 2011
For an incumbent president facing a tough reelection campaign, no public appearance is completely free of political content. But President Obama’s annual back-to-school speech to the nation’s students, delivered Wednesday at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Northwest Washington , was about as close as it gets.

No Child Waivers Make Sense For Now
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 29, 2011
Members of Congress railing against the Obama administration’s decision to grant waivers from the sweeping No Child Left Behind education law have little ground to stand on.

Coming Together to Dismantle Education Reform
TIME, September 29, 2011
A new consensus is emerging in education politics. But can the center hold? And would reformers even want it to? Bipartisanship is supposed to be a good thing — except for when Republicans and Democrats come together to try to paper over our education problems.

Teachers Union Launches Ad Campaign Supporting Obama Jobs Bill
The Hill, DC, September 28, 2011
The National Education Association (NEA) launched a multistate television ad campaign Wednesday in support of President Obama’s American Jobs Act.

Romney’s Race From the Top
American Spectator, September 29, 2011
The GOP field would rather ignore education altogether, even to the point of dismissing sensible, conservative ideas that could get better bang for taxpayers’ buck. This was particularly clear when Texas Gov. Rick Perry took aim at Romney for praising President Barack Obama’s school reform agenda.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Whitman Returns to Her Valley Roots

Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2011
The announcement of Ms. Whitman’s new job eclipsed another development: She and her husband, neurosurgeon Griffith Harsh IV, are donating at least $2.5 million to Summit Public Schools, a charter-school organization in Redwood City that is planning to create a “college-ready corridor” with 10 new local high schools over the next decade.

Rocky Point School, Gateway District Feud To
Record Searchlight, CA, September 28, 2011
A dispute that had a charter school talking litigation and its parent district broaching revocation may be nearing a close, officials from both organizations said Wednesday.

$12.6-Million Grant Will Open 13 New L.A. Charter Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 28, 2011
Two California-based charter school organizations have been awarded $12.6 million in federal grants to start 13 new campuses in Los Angeles, federal education officials announced Wednesday.

FLORIDA

From Minnesota to Miami: The History of Florida Charter Schools

State Impact NPR, September 28, 2011
Charter schools are an idea dreamed up by an obscure education professor in the 1970s which have grown into a primary alternative to traditional public schools.

Milburn Academy Grabs Attention of NAACP
Bradenton Herald, FL, September 29, 2011
Richard Milburn Academy, an alternative charter school catering to 17- to 22-year-olds, continues to garner attention since Manatee County School Superintendent Tim McGonegal recommended the school be closed.

Volusia County School Board Approves Expansion of Daytona Beach Charter High School
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL, September 29, 2011
A plan to expand a Daytona Beach charter high school to serve students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades passed its first review by the Volusia County School Board.

GEORGIA

Fulton School System Pushes To Submit Charter System Petition By End Of The Year

Revue & News , GA, September 28, 2011
Faced with a December deadline to submit a petition to the state, leaders of the Fulton County School System are finalizing the process, which could lead to Fulton becoming Georgia ’s largest charter school system.

ILLINOIS

Hard To Duck Plague of Bad Schools

Chicago Sun Times, IL, September 28, 2011
Hallelujah!” “Thank you, Jesus!” some shouted as the balls were plucked and winners were announced that summer night. Such was the admissions process for Southland College Preparatory, a new charter school in the south suburbs then scheduled to open in fall 2010.

INDIANA

Planning Under Way For 2 Area Charters

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, September 29, 2011
The Fort Wayne Urban League and a central Indiana charter school operator have filed initial paperwork seeking the OK to open new charter schools in Fort Wayne.

LOUISIANA

Coalition Opposes Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Picks For State Education Board

Times Picayune, LA, September 28, 2011
A coalition of state groups pushing to throw a road block in front of Louisiana ’s current approach to public school reform released a partial list of endorsements for state board of education races Wednesday.

MARYLAND

Howard’s School Choice

Baltimore Sun, MD, September 28, 2011
One of the great ironies of education reform in Maryland is that for all the standardization and testing directed at the classroom, the one place where there’s no clear-cut formula for success is how school boards should be selected. Some boards are elected by voters (with candidates running at-large or by district), some are appointed (or appointed and then affirmed by vote) while others are hybrids of the two.

MASSACHUSETTS

Contract Bid Issue Clouds State’s Role On Charter School

Gloucester Times, MA, September 28, 2011
The letter sent by Inspector General Gregory Sullivan to the state’s education commissioner regarding the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School’s no-bid contracts doesn’t really raise new questions regarding the school.

MICHIGAN

Save Scarce Funding For Classrooms

The Detroit News, MI, September 29, 2011
Around 40 districts in Michigan — 7 percent of districts — pay some teachers to work at least half of their time on union matters, according to a report earlier this year from Michigan Capitol Confidential, an arm of the free-market Mackinac Center for Public Policy. That’s a significant number, and many more districts allow teachers some free time, known as release time, to conduct union business.

Covington Starts Work with Detroit School Visits
The Detroit News, MI, September 29, 2011
The man hired to operate a statewide system for failing schools visited Detroit schools for the first time Wednesday and came away with a few observations — both good and bad.

Senate Panel Backs Lifting Cap On Michigan Charter Schools
Detroit Free Press, MI, September 28, 2011
A bill that would lift the cap on opening charter schools in Michigan – allowing for an unlimited number of charters to open – was approved this afternoon by the Senate Education Committee.

Readers Ask Whether Public Money Should Go To For-Profit Charter School Management Companies
Grand Rapids Press, MI, September 28, 2011
Lifting Michigan’s cap on charter schools is expected to be discussed today at a state Senate Education Committee, as lawmakers consider a sweeping package of school reforms backed by Republicans.

MISSOURI

Charter Schools Need Serious Reforms, Report Finds

St. Louis Beacon, MO, September 28, 2011
More than 10 years after the first charter school opened in St. Louis, too many charters have fallen short of their promise and need more financial help, stricter oversight and stronger incentives to improve student achievement, a report released this week by FOCUS St. Louis concludes.

Charter Schools Should Do Right, or Close Down
St. Louis American, MO, September 29, 2011
I am supportive of children receiving a quality education, no matter where they go to school – district, charter, private, virtual or home-school.

Lawmakers Tackle Unaccredited School Exodus
Missouri New Horizon, MO, September 29, 2011
With several thousand more Missouri public school students about to join the ranks of those attending unaccredited districts, a legislative committee hopes to make sure those students get the best education possible without overwhelming nearby accredited school districts with a sudden surge in enrollment.

NEW JERSEY

N.J. Senator Challenges State Department Of Education To Reveal Those Who Voluntarily Select New Charter Schools

Star-Ledger, NJ, September 18, 2011
Citing possible conflicts of interest on the part of volunteer reviewers who helped select new charter schools, a New Jersey state senator filed a legal challenge to force the state Department of Education to turn over the reviewers’ names.

NEW YORK

Charter School Accused Of Scrimping On Student Supplies And Support Under State Investigation

New York Daily News, NY, September 29, 2011
A controversial Bedford-Stuyvesant charter school that parents charge is shortchanging students on supplies and services is being audited by the state controller’s office.

Mount Vernon Lawsuit Against Amani Charter School Goes To Albany On Friday
The Journal News, NY, September 29, 2011
The Mount Vernon Board of Education will take its legal battle against the city’s first charter school to Albany on Friday, amid an intensifying money dispute.

NORTH CAROLINA

Teacher Effectiveness Focus Is Good Move

Charlotte Observer, NC, September 29, 2011
With this understatement Tuesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board member Rhonda Lennon summed up the fiasco that CMS’s pay-for-performance plan had become: “We got off on the wrong foot.”

PENNSYLVANIA

Pocono Mountain Charter School Celebrates Ruling By Appeals Board

Pocono Record, PA, September 29, 2011
The Tobyhanna charter school held a building-wide celebration Wednesday about the news the state will allow it to stay open. The event was a rousing, clapping, screaming event that busted through the politics and legalities of the long-standing fight that broke it down into one simple message — the school staying open.

Foundation Applies for Charter in CUSD
Delaware County Daily Times, PA, September 29, 2011
A private foundation that partnered with the Chester Upland School District to form an integrated arts elementary school has decided to pull from the partnership and apply for a charter school within the district.

RHODE ISLAND

Conn. Charter School Impresses Chafee

Providence Journal, RI, September 28, 2011
Governor Chafee on Tuesday praised an experimental school in Connecticut for helping poor urban students score as well on tests as their peers in more affluent suburbs.

TENNESSEE

Teacher Evaluations Questioned As Time-Consuming

Commercial Appeal, TN, September 29, 2011
Legislators across the state say the new process for teacher evaluations — starting this year — happened too fast and needs to slow down before teachers and principals rise up in revolt.

WASHINGTON

Core Academic Standards Bring Promise of Consistent Student Preparation

Seattle Times, WA, September 28, 2011
A coherent educational system with the opportunity of education truly equalized is the promise of a set of core academic standards adopted by about 40 states so far, including Washington.

VIRTUAL LEARNING

Online Courses Aim To Keep Students On Track To Graduate

Maryland Independent, MD, September 28, 2011
Jasmine Jones, a senior at Great Mills High School, says now that she didn’t do so well the second half of her junior year, mainly because she stopped going to school regularly.

Georgia Cyber Academy Means School Anytime and Anywhere
WXIA-TV, GA, September 18, 2011
Ten-year-old Isabella Kessinger of Alpharetta is in Washington, D.C. , this week and visiting all the historic sites: Lincoln Monument , the King Memorial, the FDR Memorial and more. She’s also spending at least five hours a day in school.

Students, Money Go To East TN Virtual School
The Tennessean, TN, September 28, 2011
The Dickson County School System has lost several students and tax dollars to Union County – a tiny county of less than 18,000 people in East Tennessee.

Axner, State Task Force To Study Online Learning
The Week Dublin, OH, September 29, 2011
Dublin City Schools Superintendent David Axner is one of 20 school leaders in Ohio to be drafted for the Ohio Digital Learning Task Force.