Follow the challenges and successes of students in a Bronx Middle School as they get back on the path to success. 

Buffalo Teachers Federation takes a vote of no confidence in support of Board's decision to pursue termination of Superintendent WIlliams'.

Tentative future of Lafayette High School, and Buffalo's persistently lowest achieving schools is highlighted. 

America's school systems are funded by the 50 states. In this fiery talk, Bill Gates says that state budgets are riddled with accounting tricks that disguise the true cost of health care and pensions and weighted with worsening deficits -- with the financing of education at the losing end.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Parents are seeking more reforms in the Buffalo Public Schools. And at the same time, getting into a popular charter schools is the luck of the draw.

Collen O'Mara is waiting with her fingers crossed, hoping that her 5-year-old daughter's name is called. The course of her education hangs in the balance.

O'Mara said, "We live in the city and we don't want to move out and we don't have money for private school."

It's the dilemma many Buffalo parents face, concerned about sending their children to the failing Buffalo School District.

Betsy Frazer said, "We didn't get into Olmsted. We have two more schools we're looking at and after that I guess it's going to be private and I can't afford it, so I really don't know what to do."

Finally, good news for O'Mara. Her daughter, Elsie, was one of 31 children called in a lottery for the Elmwood Village Charter School. Over 360 names were on the school's list.

"It was just a huge relief that I've got the option to stay in the city, which is where my heart belongs," said O'Mara.

Elmwood Village Charter School Principal John Sheffield said, "I know what a lot of these parents are going through."

Sheffield says the names on the lottery list grows each year.

"A lot of them feel that this is their last hope or their best hope for a quality education for their children," said Sheffield.

That's what brought Nicole Kedron to the drawing, but the news isn't so good for her daughter, Daysie.

"She didn't. 46th on the wait list, which means, it's probably not going to happen," said Kedron.

Kedron says she's on two other charter school lottery lists, and if she doesn't get into either, then she doesn't know what she'll do.

Across the city, dedicated public school parents were gathered to watch the education documentary "Waiting for Superman" and to brainstorm to try to bring reform to the Buffalo School District.

Sam Radford of the Buffalo District Parent Coordinating Council said, "We do not want to send our children to a broken system for another year."

One piece of the discussion that came out of the parents meeting is for a district wide day of protest, where parents take their children out of school for a day, as a message to the administration that the district needs major reform. That day would be on May 16, which is a half day for Buffalo school kids.

FOR MORE: http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/buffalo/Fingers-crossed-for-charter-school-lottery

No one understands the challenges facing our nation's education system as well as teachers do. Day in and day out, they are in their classrooms doing the most difficult and important job in the world. And as any teacher knows, it's not easy to produce the results this country needs from them.

Despite inefficient bureaucracies that are not even delivering basic supplies or the kind of support that recognizes their value, millions of great teachers wake up every morning determined that every student in their classroom is going to learn that day. In today's economy and global competition, we need them now more than ever.

The Oprah Show on Monday, September 20th, did a feature on 'Waiting for Superman.' Guests included Davis Guggenheim, Bill Gates, Michelle Rhee and John Legend were guests, plus two of the children profiled in the movie with their moms were in the audience.  Oprah award six charter schools $1 million each: Aspire (CA), Learn (Chicago), YES Prep (Houston), Mastery (Philadelphia), New Orleans Charter Science & Math Academy, Denver School of Science & Technology.  Kudos!

Oprah is returning to Waiting for Superman and ed reform on Friday.  If you are a parent or teacher and want to be in the studio audience, click here: https://www.oprah.com/ownshow/plug_form.html?plug_id=4582159

Gloria Romero, chairman of the California State Senate’s Education Committee, discusses the underlying reason why she is pushing for reform: The thousands of young white, black and Latino Californians who, along with more than 1.2 million other teens this year, will drop out into poverty and prison.

What is the true cost of public education? According to a new study by the Cato Institute, some of the nation's largest public school districts are underreporting the true cost of government-run education programs.

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?p...

Cato Education Analyst Adam B. Schaeffer explains that the nations five largest metro areas and the District of Columbia are blurring the numbers on education costs. On average, per-pupil spending in these areas is 44 percent higher than officially reported. Districts on average spent nearly $18,000 per student and yet claimed to spend just $12,500 last year.

It is impossible to have a public debate about education policy if public schools can't be straight forward about their spending.

Katie Couric visits Thurgood Marshall Academy, a Washington, D.C. charter high-school where children are graduating in extraordinary numbers and defying some pretty tough odds.

Joshua Littman, a 12-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome, interviews his mother, Sarah. Joshua’s unique questions and Sarah’s loving, unguarded answers reveal a beautiful relationship that reminds us of the best—and the most challenging—parts of being a parent.