Right now there is a diary on the rec. list about a year-old story involving the terrible schools in Central Falls, RI. Any number of commenters have pointed out that not only is the story old, but that everybody got rehired, which isn't really a shock.
However, what struck me that checking back in with Central Falls doesn't paint a picture of a healthy community. On the flip, an update from the NYT.
In an article largely about the broke-ness of (bailed out) Hamtramck, MI, we get an update on the (un-bailed) Central Falls:
This month, the authorities in Rhode Island said the City of Central Falls could face bankruptcy if immediate, drastic changes — perhaps the city’s annexation into a neighboring municipality — fail.
(emphasis mine)
So, basically, not only was the other diary out of date, it missed a much larger point, which is that the problems in Central Falls probably don't have much to do with some nefarious plot by the education department or Obama. The whole city is in trouble, to the extent that it, if we believe the Times, may not exist as an independent entity soon.
Charter schools: yes or no? is a popular question in newly revitalized urban districts and has a more complicated politics I won't go into here, since I am not an expert. But there's no reason to think that this particular case has anything to do with that.