Short of the misspelling of Bill Cosby's name, this was not only a timely and relevant story, but great quotes from relevant parties. I hope there is follow-up with what constituents think and maybe what the silent key figure thinks. Either way it was informative reporting.

Where is commentary from teachers on the panel? If they cannot comment, where is commentary from any teacher or principal about Dr. Grasmick's comments?

This appears to be Adam Meister's original story rewritten with the paragraphs/words moved around a little??? It also has typos in it.

Impressive piece from what is sometimes a paper with very thin details and facts. Several quotes from people who would be both impacted and/or have a background in the subject matter. Also, enterprising in reflecting on this aspect of the issue and the role it plays in the social discourse.

Finally a piece that has comments from the Mayor and not a spokesperson. I would have like to seen some further investigation on evidence of her statements about what she is doing in neighborhoods as well as impressions from those who attended the event.

ALthough I'm not a fan of this style of writing on some issues because it can be received as being directive by young or new readers. This piece really captures the tone and tenor of the event without unecessarily lampooning any participant. The assessment of the panelists themselves was a necessary addition and some of the statements that were missed by other major publications, yet showed up in this article are classic. The detail of this piece makes it very well balanced and fair. Strong example of a good piece of journalism, and also journalism with a soul. So much of what we read today sometimes feels like either the writer is an amateur using feeds from national news agencies or simply doesn't know the town they are ... More »

Interestingly I was at this event. This piece doesn't share any of the angst or tense moments at the event. It doesn't speak to why the Mayor was not there. It doesn't have any commentary from people who attended and their impressions on how the candidates did. It certainly doesn't go very far in keeping the community in the know.

What is the point of this story? Where does it add value. One could also perceive it as biased or prolific. Biased in showing the lack of value for life, moreso the lives of Black people in Baltimore. Or prolific inasmuch as those killed and doing the killing all look like one another.

This would be great if there were some research based-context around what rigor actually is, what highly rigorous standards mean for children, what supports are made for teachers to increase achievement using more rigorous standards, how these standards compare internationally, etc. Very limited in scope or direction for what even an education practitioner would do with this information.

Since this is an opinion I can't necessarily say whether this is good or bad. I am surprised at the lack of balance as it pertains to Black people and the dotted line drawn from legislative votes around gay marriage to no supporting the DREAM Act. A little irresponsible I would say without any quotes or evidence to back up the rationale.

Where is the commentary from Filipino teachers or union representatives of Baltimore City teachers. Where is the commentary about where the money will come from to pay for these fees if determined to be substantial? How long will it take to get this information to the public? This story seemed more like a race to get the story than in depth journalism.

Interesting story. However, is the goal to discredit the Baltileaks blog posting or is the goal to investigate why a young lady, who doesn't appear to have her own money would be making a $7000 contribution to political campaigns. The whole - my father gave me the money, who happens to work at Severstal, so I could bribe politicians into getting me into U of M doesn't sound any more plausible than the Baltileaks piece. What's the real intention of the authors? It isn't clear to me since they don't note any of their own investigation of the facts behind Ms. Nazarenko's contribution.