A national education think tank has ranked the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools among the best systems in the U.S. for school reform, according to a study released today.

The Washington-based Thomas B. Fordham Institute says a tradition of creative thinking and a lack of opposition to change from teachers' unions makes Charlotte-Mecklenburg a hospitable location for innovative ideas.

Saying "too few American cities" have the resources to reform the education system, the study's leader, Rick Hess, cited Charlotte-Mecklenburg as being among a half-dozen locations in the survey of 30 major metropolitan areas that "stands out as a bright spot."

Charlotte got a B and ranked sixth in the survey. No city got an A, but the places ranked ahead of Charlotte were New Orleans, Washington, New York City, Denver and Jacksonville. The institute looked at about 25 of the nation's largest school systems and several systems where a considerable amount of innovation has been taking place.

No other Carolinas system was studied in the survey, which measured factors such as financial resources, community involvement, and school systems' methods of measuring success.

"It's really difficult for large organizations to transform themselves," Hess said. "But some of our larger school systems are achieving some success at doing that."

CMS led the nation in the "District Environment" category. Study leaders said school system officials are not afraid to make difficult decisions, and the system doesn't have to worry about changes being opposed by a strong teachers' union.

Hess said the survey, conducted for the first time, did not measure student achievement. Rather, he said, it was designed to look at the ability of school systems to adapt to changing technologies and teaching methods.

The overall summary said Charlotte-Mecklenburg "has a lot going for it," pointing to "strong district leadership" and "countywide district configuration." But it took fault with state policies that limit the establishment of more charter schools.