STUDENTSFIRST: Two-year, $8 million grant from The Walton Family Foundation to Sacramento, CA-based StudentsFirst, reports the LATimes, which describes it as "a political counterweight to teachers unions [that has] pushed...for policies that include limiting teacher tenure, easing rules for dismissing teachers and making student test scores the major factor in an instructor's evaluation. The press release adds that the funds will help StudentsFirst "expand its impact, both by increasing member engagement and advocacy efforts," which includes political lobbying. Needless to say, the organization sometimes finds itself embroiled in controversy. Recently, founder and CEO Michelle Rhee has been under media scrutiny over allegations of cheating in DC schools during her tenure as chancellor there.
