The spring edition of Ed Next is out and it's a doozy. In the top spot, find Richard Colvin's "Straddling the Democratic Divide" on Obama's pushmi-pullyu education strategy; then, Charles Chieppo and Jamie Gass of Massachusetts' Pioneer Institute contemplate the future of accountability in their home state, and Jay Mathews contributes excerpts from his new biography of KIPP, Work Hard, Be Nice. Fordham's Checker Finn and Deborah Meier debate national standards and Robert Costrell and Michael Podgursky investigate teacher retirement benefits. All that and much, much more. Start reading here.