It appears that Illinois is about to raise its charter cap. Secretary Duncan must be smiling. He has made clear that states wanting to compete for discretionary stimulus funds must show they are serious about reform, by, among other things, lifting charter caps.
We'll never know whether IL would have done this anyway or if the threat was determinative. Either way, this is good news for kids and a small victory for ED. Let's hope other states follow suit and adopt meaningful reforms in advance of the Race to the Top and What Works competitions.