The Glossary is particularly interesting. What exactly are "strong" Charter School laws, and why do the southern states have the "weakest"?

"Strong" charter school laws are, of course, "liberal" charter school laws--but the Heritage Foundation is disinclined to utter the word aloud.

You may have caught on this KV thread my link to the Wiki listing of 9 states working with Battelle for Kids, the "ALEC of public education," as Randy characterized them?

I cross-refed the Wiki listing of those 9 states to data on this KV thread to show that 4 of those 9 states working with Battelle already have vouchers, tuition tax credits, or both (that's OH, LA, OK, and PA)?

Well, I just took a look on this Heritage Foundation map at the other 5 states working with Battelle--which are not yet operating voucher or tuition tax credit programs--to see what's going on in those 5 states (that's MA, NY, TN, SC, and TX).

Using the Heritage map, you'll see at a glance how many privatizing non-profits they cite as being hard at work in those other 5 states--especially in MA, NY, and TX.

Meanwhile, TN and SC now have governors in office who support vouchers (Bill Haslam and, per comments under Heritage's "Developments" heading on its SC page, Mark Sanford).

Unless those 5 states--including TN--generate a whole lotta pushback, it looks like the interlopers may soon bag those 5 states, too.

Tamera,
SC Governor is Nikki Haley.

Gotcha, Zach--I took that Mark Sanford mention off Heritage's page for SC, under the heading "Recent Developments," here.