Journalists new to the beat often seem to have to write about all they're learning along the way, and so it's boring but not entirely unexpected that recently re-assigned Times writer
Trip Gabriel spends much of his 3,600-word article (
Challenges in Replicating Charter School Success) rehashing topics we already know about and have read before: the slew of financial and celebrity fancypants who are currently supporting charters, the accountability and replication challenges, the use of data at Uncommon Schools, etc. Indeed, some of the story elements are quite dated -- early questions about Duncan's view of charters, the CREDO study, last year's NSVF summit in Pasadena. That being said, there are a few likable elements to the piece: the comparison between the high-flying Williamsburg school and the ordinary Cleveland one (rather than, say, a more
