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No Harmony here: DCPS is upset because the Harmony School of Excellence-DC, a new science-themed charter school, will open across the street from Langley Elementary, which has a similar focus. But, echoing a familiar charter complaint, Harmony’s founder says he couldn’t find any other suitable location. (Examiner)

More Hispanic kindergarteners: Between 2000 and 2012, the number of states where at least 20% of kindergarteners were Hispanic increased from 8 to 17. (Post)

More money doesn’t always produce better results: A report that analyzed school district budgets across the country found that some big spenders, like Montgomery County, get strong academic outcomes. But others get the same results with less money. (Post)

Educate mothers to help their kids: Children of mothers who lack high school diplomas do worse than those whose mothers have a college degree on a number of measures. (Post)

Making school choice work: A survey of parents in 8 cities with a lot of school choice, including DC, found that parents face problems with transportation and inadequate information. (CRPE)

Preschool teacher drain: New York’s expansion of public preschool is having the unintended effect of luring away teachers from independent preschools because the public system offers better salaries and benefits. (NYT)

Is the push against expulsions counterproductive?: Minority students get suspended and expelled in disproportionate numbers, but that may not always signal racism. What if more minority students are misbehaving? And what if they disrupt learning for others? (Education Next)

Reading programs and teachers: The success or failure of the controversial balanced literacy approach may have more to do with the skill level of teachers who implement it than with the approach itself. (Ed Week)

And: Could makerspaces replace shop class? (Christian Science Monitor) … Arne Duncan calls for financial literacy education (Pensions and Investments) … Unanswered questions about summer school (NPR)