The Voices

prospect.org — This was an unusual spectacle at a Democratic convention: A megawatt group of Democrats, including Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, Mayor Adrian Fenty of Washington, D.C., and former Gov. Ray Romer of Colorado, bashed teachers' unions for an hour. Is this any way to treat allies in the progressive struggle?

thenation.com — When students get loans this year, they will pay more for them. In at least some cases students are looking at rates of 23 percent. With those numbers a young person might be better off borrowing from the mafia.

alternet.org — Sad but true: Intelligence is a political liability in the U.S. Author of The Age of American Unreason Susan Jacoby explains why.

progressive.org — No Child Left Behind is one-size-fit-all. But any experienced teacher knows how warped a yardstick that is.

ft.com — The educational quality of the country's workers is starting to decline — not just relatively but also, for the first time, in absolute terms. Over the coming years, baby-boomers departing from the labor force will have better educational qualifications than the younger workers replacing them. If the ultimate source of an economy—s ability to grow and prosper is its human capital, the U.S. is in trouble.

tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com — Generous subsidies from some ivy league schools have encouraged a broader range of students across the income spectrum to compete for slots, with some lower-income public school applicants beating out the prep school grads.

huffingtonpost.com — President Bush spends billions in Iraq, but American students can barely scrape enough money together to go to college. Luckily, Democratic leaders in Congress have addressed increasing college costs by decreasing interest on student loans.

inthesetimes.com — "What good are well-educated kids who, right out of the cradle, have major financial obligations before most own a house, a car or know where the nearest grocery store is?"

huffingtonpost.com — So now we know. All of us "paranoids" were right all along. From the beginning, some of us saw vouchers and privatization lurking behind No Child Left Behind. We were shouted down. But now we know.

thenation.com — Today, a meal consisting of chicken nuggets, tater tots, and canned fruit cocktail in heavy syrup meets all USDA nutrition requirements. With limited funds from the federal government, schools have no choice but to use commercial brands or pre-cooked commodities from the USDA.