Obama backs charter schools

Presidential candidate Barack Obama hasn't put too much detail to his education positions so far. But in an interview with the politics Web site Politico Obama used his support of federal aid to charter schools as an example of his willingness to take positions outside of the mainstream for his party.

Obama also talked up his support of teacher pay raises based on performance and acknowledged that the big teachers' unions are not thrilled with these positions. The Politico story suggests these positions might be a bridge to reach out to Republicans and right-leaning independents for support.

This post also appears on my education blog, Get ont the Bus.