Political will to modernize Cleveland schools?

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson's plan to reinvent public education "has the potential to become a model for changing education in urban America," according to Brent Larkin's Plain Dealer column yesterday. But it will challenge defenders of the status quo at the state capitol:

Problems loom in Columbus. Democrats fear the political clout of teachers unions. And for some Republicans, anything that demands positive results from their deep-pocketed contributors in the charter school crowd makes them skittish. If Democrats or Republicans attempt to significantly dilute Jackson's proposed changes, the plan won't work.

Jackson's plan (PDF)