California's budget crisis has dried up funds for the state's highly touted education awards program, which will not be distributed this academic year, Governor Gray Davis's administration announced last week. A fundamental piece of the state's accountability puzzle and a favorite program of the governor, decent-sized awards were to have gone to more than 2,300 high-performing schools and their teachers. Qualifying schools - which are fewer than last year, as test scores indicate Golden State schools have slowed their rate of improvement - will instead have to settle for certificates honoring their achievement. "Education Award Plans Suspended," by Duke Helfand, Los Angeles Times, October 18, 2002
