"Our state and our schools need to be reinvented. The governor and Legislature are to be commended for making progress on school reform by striking a deal on landmark legislative ideas that have been kicking around the state capitol for a decade. Clearly, the up to $400 million of “Race to the Top,” U.S. Department of Education dollars provided the right amount of inducement to help strike the deal. The legislation expands the number of high-quality charter schools — including two new e-learning “cyber schools” — raises the dropout age from 16 to 18, and gives the state stronger authority to take over 5 percent of the state's academically worst failing schools."
