Reading during the lull

My plans for this week were put on hold by the snow, but the world of education keeps turning. I turned up some articles that may be of interest:

The Washington Post is trying to organize snow shovel brigades with its snow cleanup page, and is encouraging schools to use it to ask for assistance:

Washingtonians, the challenge has been laid. Go the extra mile to help your fellow neighbor dig us out of Snowmageddon. Dig out a car. Shovel a sidewalk. Salt a driveway. Whatever you do, track it here and show your Washington area pride.

[Help Schools Dig Out of the Snow]

The Post's Jay Mathews goes into depth regarding Governor McDonnell's to increase distance learning in public schools, and finds support on the left and the right:

McDonnell said in his education innovation announcement: "The 21st Century economy is not limited by regional or national borders, and the 21st Century education system should no longer be limited by traditional brick and mortar. Virtual schools provide excellent instruction, adhere to the same Standards of Learning as all Virginia schools, and bring the world to children in their own cities and counties."

Could this be an opportunity for Loudoun to gain new enrollment for courses that smaller districts can't afford to offer their students? [Class Struggle]

Buses in some districts (not Loudoun) now come with wifi for the students, and the results were unexpected:

Wi-Fi access has transformed what was often a boisterous bus ride into a rolling study hall, and behavioral problems have virtually disappeared. “It’s made a big difference,” said J. J. Johnson, the bus’s driver. “Boys aren’t hitting each other, girls are busy, and there’s not so much jumping around.”

After all the flack over the bus with the hybrid engine, can you imagine the blowback if we wired a bus in Loudoun?

[Wi-Fi Turns Arizona Bus Ride into a Rolling Study Hall]

Finally, Virginia's education establishment came out in force against changes in the state's charter school laws this week.

McDonnell wants to open more charter schools in the state by shifting power to approve them from local school boards to the Virginia Board of Education, which would screen applications and have the authority to overrule local decisions.

Final approval on charter schools -- public schools that have some autonomy from state and local regulations -- currently rests with local school boards. Proponents say this contributes to Virginia's low number. The state has three charter schools, with a fourth slated to open in Richmond this year.

[Richmond Times Dispatch]
[Virginian Pilot]