Big news on the education front today as this story in the Charlotte Observer reports. Follow me to the rest of the story and chime in.

A judge threatened Friday to close about a dozen N.C. high schools, including four in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, if test scores don't improve this spring.

The letter from Wake Superior Court Judge Howard Manning appears to break ground nationally. He tells state education leaders that high schools with five years of pass rates below 55 percent on state exams "will not be allowed to open in the fall of 2006" unless principals are replaced.

In a brief interview Friday afternoon, Manning described the letter as "just a warning shot ... not an order."
. . .
Manning's 17-page letter blames principals for lingering academic failure, and superintendents for tolerating it. He tells state educators to put "new management" in schools that don't hit passing marks this year and to demand a plan for restructuring the schools.

Read the whole article - it's the best coverage I found this morning. And it's worth some serious thought. For example, the focus is on principals getting fired. Why stop there? Why not fire superindentdents? Why not fire the entire staff at the state Department of Public Instruction? Why not fire a bunch of parents?

I'm exaggerating (somewhat) to make the point that the problem is systemic. That said, this seems like a pretty good move to me.

But you have to wonder what the wingers will think. Isn't this one of them there activist judges who doesn't know his place? We'll see. I'm guessing the Pope Puppets will applaud the action. You see, they like judicial activism when it supports their agenda. Just like I do.

Anglico

PS GO HEELS!