AM News: Mixed News For Obama Ed Agenda

States setting pace on school change; Obama agenda stalled in Congress Washington Post: While states are moving fast to overhaul public schools, President Obama's education agenda is hitting a wall in Congress... Senate Panel Approves Race to Top Renewal Politics K12:  The federal Race to the Top program would be renewed for another year under a spending bill approved today by the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that deals with education spending—but wouldn't receive nearly as much money as President Barack Obama has sought. 18 States and D.C. Are Race to the Top Finalists NYT:  Eighteen states and the District of Columbia advanced to the second round of a national competition for federal financing to support education reform... Database on Schools Slated for Turnaround Coming Soon State EdWatch:  Across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, 2,136 schools have been identified as the most "persistently low-performing" and the first in line to receive a share of the $3.5 billion in stimulus-funded Title I School Improvement Grants.2nd Pa. student files suit alleging laptop spying AP:  A second lawsuit has been filed against a suburban Philadelphia school district accused of spying on students through cameras in school-issued laptop computers...Economic Scene: Study Rethinks Importance of Kindergarten Teachers NYT:  A new study found students with better teachers learned more in kindergarten — and earned more as young adults.