Assembly passes monumental reforms
Blog by John Fensterwald/Educated Guess
Talk of Race to the Top will soon be superceded by all-encompassing anxiety over the state budget. But make no mistake: The two bills the Assembly passed Tuesday were historic; they will have long-lasting and far-reaching effects, whether or not California wins a dime of the $4.3 billion Race to the Top competition. Despite full-bore opposition of the heavies in Sacramento – the school boards’, teachers union’s and school administrators’ lobbies – by this afternoon, the Legislature will have finally adopted measures thought implausible months ago. As a result, the state will be poised to: Take decisive action to fix the worst performing schools – an action it has resisted, flying in the face of federal law, for years. (more...)