A Nashville teacher, whose own daughters were educated in the nearby affluent community of Brentwood, sees how the opportunity ladder is broken for kids in America’s poorest neighborhoods. Mind/Shift
Bored students score higher on tests compared to highly motivated students, according to a new global study. So does creating an engaged student body really matter? The Atlantic
Here are seven reasons why more money is spent on U.S. education, compared to almost every other country in the world. Vox
One-third of New Orleans principals interviewed for a new study admitted that, though their schools professed to enroll all comers, they tried to select the best students. The Times-Picayune
Detroit Public Schools is $53 million behind in pension payments, costing the city the equivalent of one student’s annual state funding grant in interest each day. The Detroit News
A plotline about charter schools in a gentrifying Los Angeles neighborhood tells a lot about middle class white families’ attitudes toward public education. Salon
New York Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch’s argument that taking annual state tests should be compared to getting a medical checkup doesn’t support her case against opting out. The Hechinger Report
Commentary: An education researcher and parent calls for charter schools to do more to take responsibility for educating students with special needs rather than forcing the traditional public schools be the places of last resort for those students. CRPE
Commentary: Common enrollment systems can help parents in cities with more school choice. Flypaper