BLOGS: Best Of The Day

Not a bad group for a summertime Friday afternoon:

No Excuses Robert Pondiscio 
One of the biggest applause line in President Obama’s speech to the NAACP Thursday wasn’t in his prepared remarks–it came when he exhorted parents and children to take full advantage of their educational opportunities and make “no excuses.”

Surf's Up. Charlie Barone
With more states taking Race to the Top action, Duncan’s team working on stimulus implementation, Congress trying to take care of business before August recess, and state test scores coming out, it looks to be a virtually endless summer of action on education issues.

Dave Eggers Confident that America's Youth Will Save Print Gawker
Dave Eggers, we like you, we really do, but your staggering genius has failed you and you are horribly, horribly wrong.

A Federal Policy of Activating State Lawmaking? Renee Rybak
There’s a critical if little-noticed fork in the road for “national education policy” and it looks now as if the Obama administration, to its credit, is going to take both paths.

Tilting at Windmills Washington Monthly
Why is the only senator to have served as a superintendent of schools not on the Senate Education Committee?

550 Layoffs at McGraw-Hill - Layoffs Gawker
The McGraw-Hill Companies Creates Achievement-Focused PreK-12 Education Group to Help Students Develop 21st Century Skills." That restructuring=layoffs.