Around The Nation

A slew of interesting education news stories from other parts of the country for those of you who're interested -- lots of similar things going on outside Chicago.

Click below for the weekly roundup.

You can get national education news daily at my other blog, This Week In Education.

Study: Charter school growth accompanied by racial imbalance Washington Post
"I'm less concerned about the comparison of the racial composition of the charter schools to public schools generally, than I am in looking at whether charter schools are getting the job done in providing a viable, meaningful alternative to the regular public schools," said Brian W. Jones, vice chairman of the D.C. Public Charter School Board.

Education secretary says Bobb is a 'breath of fresh air' Detroit News
Last year, after heated negotiations, Bobb and the Detroit Federation of Teachers agreed to sweeping contract changes that, among other things, will set aside $10,000 of teachers' paychecks to a fund that will pay them a lump sum when they leave the district, a move aimed at encouraging retirements.

Unions balk at school aid program Boston Globe
Although many school districts in Massachusetts have rushed to take part in a federal program that offers new funds in exchange for cooperation on educational reforms, a number of others will have to sit on the sidelines because their teacher unions opted out.

Earnings Gap Between College and High School Grads Small WSJ

Now, as tuition continues to skyrocket and many seeking to change careers are heading back to school, some researchers are questioning the methodology behind the high projections.

Media: GIS Mapping For Better Schools TWIE

The use of GIS mapping apparently includes tracking where good schools are and aren't. Burtman tells me that Ann Joyner with the Cedar Grove Institute for Sustainable Communities has a project focusing on Wayne County, NC. Another name I got from Burtman is John Kim of the Healthy City Project in LA. But that's all I know.

States struggle to keep top teachers AP
Even the top scoring state, Florida, received a C, with most states getting Ds or Fs. A handful of states -- including Georgia,Texas and Louisiana -- got a C-minus.

For Tween Boys, Masculinity in a Spray Can NYT
Psychologists, parents, market researchers and middle-school principals (with drawers full of confiscated spray cans), report a sharp surge in the last few years of the use of grooming products by tween boys.

Obama: Return To Childhood Indonesian Schools [upd]

As you may recall, there were widespread reports that Obama had been educated at a radical Muslim madrassa during the 2008 campaign which were eventually debunked.