Colorado isn't the only state that has ballot initiatives regarding tax increases for education funding this year. In fact, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article (read more here) this year marks the “largest number of education tax initiatives to appear on state election ballots in two decades.” Although only a few of Colorado’s school districts are asking tax payers for more money, Arizona, Missouri, South Dakota, California and Oregon have state-wide ballot initiatives, all asking for more education funding.

While flipping through this weekend’s edition of the Wall Street Journal, I came across a great piece about the success of charter schools in Harlem (read full article here). New York City’s progress reports for all of its 1,230 schools showed that charter schools have out-performed the rest of the city’s district-run schools by a wide margin. According to the article, eight of the top 11 elementary and middle schools are charters, four of which are located in Harlem. Although those who oppose charter schools, and school choice generally, would attribute this success to the way charters “cherry pick” the best students in the district, it is simply not true. Charter schools, including those in Harlem, run “lotteries” to select their students; it is really a matter of luck if a child wins a spot in the charter school.

Election Day is quickly approaching and among the various issues on the ballot, 30 school districts in Colorado are asking voters to approve ballot measures, including bond issues and property tax increases, to cover rising operating expenses (read more from Ed News Colorado here). Of these 30, five have focused on property tax hikes to seek greater funding; Jefferson County R-1, Denver Public Schools, Cherry Creek Schools, Aurora Public Schools, and St. Vrain Valley R-1J. These districts are also among the nine largest districts in the state.

This past Thursday Denver played host to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which included a panel on education reform; “Reclaiming America’s Education Future: Why Obama’s Top-Down Approach is Failing Our Children.” The panel, moderated by Jamie Gass, Director of the Center for School Reform at the Pioneer Institute, included Pam Benigno, Director of the Education Policy Center at the Independence Institute; Candi Cushman, Education Analyst at Citizen Link; the Honorable Bob Schaffer, Chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education; and the Honorable Robert Scott, former Texas Commissioner of Education.

Many rightfully argue that education reform should be a bi-partisan effort, and on some issues Democrats and Republicans agree. Members of both parties support charter schools, merit pay, and teacher evaluations linked in some way to student performance. However, when it comes to vouchers, the parties have two very different opinions; many Republicans support vouchers, while most Democrats do not – but not all.

Republican presidential nominee, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, attended the Education Nation 2012 Summit Tuesday, saying a few words before taking questions from NBC’s Brian Williams and the audience, portions of which were aired Wednesday on the Today Show’s Education Nation (you can see the video hereand read the full transcript here). Governor Romney offered a contrast to President Obama on education reform, particularly in regards to the President’s assertion that criticizing teachers unions is equivalent to “teacher-bashing.” Among the many education issues covered during his appearance, Governor Romney did indeed address the issue of teachers unions that often hold back reform. But he also discussed the importance and of the role of teachers and the value we should place on the profession.

President Obama appeared this morning on the Today show’s “Education Nation” on NBC (see the video here). In the interview Savannah Guthrie began by asking the President about the recent teachers union strike in his hometown of Chicago. Specifically Ms. Guthrie addressed how the strike put Democrats who support education reform in a difficult position, as they have traditionally sided with unions. Ms. Guthrie quoted the Republican Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, as saying that President Obama chose his side – the unions. Obama responded that “Governor Romney and a number of folks try to politicize the issue and do a lot of teacher-bashing.” Ms. Guthrie struck back asking, “can you really say that teachers unions aren’t slowing the pace of reform?” President Obama went on the defensive replying, “I just get really frustrated when I hear teacher-bashing as evidence of reform.”

Developing good teachers has been both a controversial and imperative aspect of K-12 education reform. In fact, quality teachers have the most effective impact on student achievement within the school environment. Studies, such as the Rivkin, Hanushek, and Kain study from the University of Texas at Dallas, have found that quality teaching for four consecutive years could successfully eliminate the achievement gap. Teachers are no doubt important; however the role of principals and other education leaders in school reform is often overlooked, though it is just as crucial to achieving effective education reform.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that D.C. public schools have now set reading and math proficiency goals for black and Hispanic children lower than for white and Asian students. Additionally, goals in poorer areas of the city are lower than those for affluent areas.