Arne Duncan's goal for the stimulus money is for more testing and for charter schools.

[madfloridian]

I keep gathering together information on the new trend from public schools to charter schools. In the back of my mind, I know it doesn't matter what I write, or whether I as a retired teacher agree. But it is in my nature to try to inform about the changes going on in the public school system. I treasured my 30 plus years of teaching the little and not so little ones. I loved them very much.

I know that some students will benefit from charter schools since the money is going to them instead of public schools now. It will be beneficial to some. But it breaks my heart to see the callous way Arne Duncan views public schools in relation to his love for charter schools and more testing.

Arne Duncan's goals for the schools and the use of the stimulus fund for education, in his own words.

"Part of the stimulus money, he told Sam Dillon of The New York Times, will be used so that states can develop data systems, which will enable them to tie individual student test scores to individual teachers, greasing the way for merit pay. Another part of the stimulus plan will support charters and entrepreneurs."

More from the article:

Everything I have seen and learned since Duncan came to office has supported Secretary Spellings' admiring comments about Secretary Duncan. It turns out that Duncan, like the Bush administration, adores testing, charter schools, merit pay, and entrepreneurs. Part of the stimulus money, he told Sam Dillon of The New York Times, will be used so that states can develop data systems, which will enable them to tie individual student test scores to individual teachers, greasing the way for merit pay. Another part of the stimulus plan will support charters and entrepreneurs.

Duncan paid his first visit to New York City last week ("New Education Secretary Visits Brooklyn School," New York Times, Feb. 19, 2009). He did not visit a regular public school, but a charter school. Such decisions are not happenstance; they are intended to send a message. Bear in mind that the regular public schools enroll 98 percent of the city's one-million-plus students.

At the charter school, Duncan endorsed the core principles of the Bush education program. According to the account in the Times, Secretary Duncan said that "increasing the use of testing across the country should also be a spending priority." And he made this astonishing statement: "We should be able to look every second grader in the eye and say, 'You're on track, you're going to be able to go to a good college, or you're not...Right now, in too many states, quite frankly, we lie to children. We lie to them and we lie to their families."

It seems to me that during the primaries President Obama said he was not calling for more testing, though he thoroughly embraced charter schools.

Charter schools are deregulated schools

"Deregulation

The second main idea behind charters is that state directives are strangling public school innovations. That's why charters are exempted from many regulations restricting the operations of traditional public schools. The trouble is that deregulation creates opportunities for mountebanks to pilfer the public purse, abuse children, and the like. As a matter of fact, to the extent that charter operators have freedom of action, the confidence tricksters and bunko artists among them find opportunities for fraud and misuse of public funds. What is more, the politicians (and/or their relatives) who push charters often end up feeding at the charter school trough themselves."

Just as we are going through the crisis of our banks due to the deregulation in the last 1990s....we are deciding to deregulate our public school system and allow the schools to be run by various other groups than the school board. In fact, Arne Duncan even thinks that schools should in many cases be turned over to the city mayors. Lord help most of Florida if that were to happen.

Cutting edge charters

Charter schools are hardly the only enterprise to give deregulation a bad name. At this writing the U.S. economy may be headed for its worst crises since the Great Depression. Many commentators cite the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, a 1999 banking deregulation bill, as the primary cause. The act, signed by President Clinton by the way, repealed Depression-era regulations and encouraged the creation of sub-prime mortgages, including no-money-down, interest-only loans to individuals with poor credit histories. Those mortgages were subsequently packaged and sold as securities. The Bush administration, blinded by the philosophy that market forces provide all the regulation necessary, ignored numerous warnings of an impending collapse. Thus did deregulation produce the conditions that triggered an economic train wreck, Deregulation similarly precipitated the savings and loan crises of the 1980s and '90s. In that case a new federal law permitted S&Ls to depart from their original mission of receiving savings and providing mortgages and venture into commercial loans and issuing credit cards instead. S&Ls soon were lending money to shaky ventures they were ill equipped to assess. Eventually more than sixteen hundred banks either closed or required federal assistance at a cost to federal taxpayers of $124.6 billion.

What's the common element in both of these financial debacles? Deregulation. What is at the heart of the charter school movement? Deregulation.

Conclusion

Given President-elect Obama's support for charter schooling, the movement may multiply during his administration. If so, expect still more fraud and scandal, because whatever their merits, charters present as big an opportunity for swindlers and charlatans as does televangelism."

When deciding the merits of an issue, you look to who is supporting it.

Walmart one of the biggest supporters of charter schools.

"A charter school is any school that is funded publicly but governed by institutions outside the public school system. A company, a non-governmental organization, a university, or any group of people who write a charter can become autonomous from a public school board and control the budget, curriculum, and select the group of students in a school. They receive public money, and, in exchange, they set out quantifiable results that they will achieve. One quarter of charter schools are run by for-profit operators (called EMOs, Educational Management Organizations), but most are run by nonprofit entities (usually grouped under CMOs, Charter Management Organizations.)"

"The Walton Family Foundation of Wal-Mart is the single biggest investor in charter schools in the United States, giving $50 million a year to support them.21 The Waltons specialize in giving money to opponents of public education. “Empowering parents to choose among competing schools,” said John Walton, son of Wal-Mart’s founder, “will catalyze improvement across the entire K–12 education system.”22 According to a National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) report, “Some critics argue that it is the beginning of the ‘Wal-Martization’ of education, and a move to for-profit schooling, from which the family could potentially financially benefit. John Walton owned 240,000 shares of Tesseract Group Inc. (formerly known as Education Alternatives Inc.), which is a for-profit company that develops/manages charter and private schools as well as public schools.”23 Wal-Mart is a notorious union-busting firm, famous for keeping its health-care costs down by discouraging unhealthy people from working at its stores, paying extremely low wages with poor benefits, and violating child labor laws. The company has reportedly looted more than $1 billion in economic development subsidies from state and local governments.24 Its so-called philanthropy seems also to be geared to the looting of public treasuries."

Though charter schools are called public schools, there is a difference. They are not the same as a public school in the traditional sense at all. They have an outside group running them.

Charter schools

"Although they serve only a tiny fraction of the nation’s public school students, charter schools have seized a prominent role in education today. They are at the center of a growing movement to challenge traditional notions of what public education means.

Charter schools are by definition independent public schools. Although funded with taxpayer dollars, they operate free from many of the laws and regulations that govern traditional public schools. In exchange for that freedom, they are bound to the terms of a contract or "charter" that lays out a school’s mission, academic goals, and accountability procedures. State laws set the parameters for charter contracts, which are overseen by a designated charter school authorizer—often the local school district or related agency.

With their relative autonomy, charter schools are seen as a way to provide greater educational choice and innovation within the public school system. Their founders are often teachers, parents, or activists who feel restricted by traditional public schools. In addition, many charters are run by for-profit companies, forming a key component of the privatization movement in education."

"many are run by for-profit companies"

More details about them.

Charter Schools USA

"Charter schools are part of a sweeping educational reform that offers alternatives for parents and students and places the highest priority on providing a better education. Charter schools are funded much like a public school, but each charter school is governed privately. Unlike traditional public schools, every charter school must demonstrate success, or it will lose its charter. Charter schools can be managed by municipalities, private companies or individuals."

More from Derrick Z. Jackson.

Charter Schools Troubled Waters by Derrick Z. Jackson

"Published on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 by the Boston Globe
Charter Schools' Troubled Waters
by Derrick Z. Jackson

Despite promising us a compass, charter schools have hit another shoal. More evidence says they are no better than public schools.

"Proponents of charter schools have a deregulationist view of education that says the marketplace leads to better schools," Lawrence Mishel, president of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute, said over the telephone. "The facts of the matter suggest that this view is without merit."

Mishel and three other university researchers from Columbia and Stanford universities are authors of the forthcoming book "The Charter School Dust-Up." The researchers reviewed federal data and the results from 19 studies in 11 states and the District of Columbia. They found that charter school students, on the whole, "have the same or lower scores than other public school students in nearly every demographic category."

In a politically charged environment where the White House and many governors, including Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, are pushing charter schools, the authors found that federal data "fail to confirm claims that the performance of charter schools improves as these schools accumulate experience." Charter schools four years or older "report lower scores than new charter schools."

..."Also, many charter schools rely on less-experienced, uncertified, and often less-well-paid teachers. In a regular central city school, 75 percent of the teachers have more than five years' experience. In a charter school the percentage is only 34 percent. In public high schools, 70 percent of the math teachers either majored or minored in math in college. In a charter high school, the percentage is 56 percent. "While freedom from certification rules undoubtedly permit charter schools to hire teachers who are more qualified than typical teachers in regular public schools, the data do not reveal evidence that charter schools, on average, are actually using their freedom to do so," the authors wrote.

The charter schools are coming. Some will work well. But the overall picture is one of involving outside entities in public schools, making them answerable to groups who might have their own agendas.

[bridgit]

1. Oh yeah, they're coming

[ColbertWatcher]

2. You're wrong, Arne.

Just because there's other news getting the headlines, doesn't mean you'll get away with it.

People can still see what you're doing!

[elleng]

3. I strongly dislike the incorrect distinction

made between charter and public schools; charter schools ARE public schools.

Its the testing we/they can all do without. Thank goodness my daughters are OUT and in college/grad school now.

[madfloridian]

4. They are not run by by the public school boards.

They are run by people from groups or corporations who might have other agendas.

Thus they are NOT as such public schools.

I took time on the posts, and I don't think you bothered to read ti.

[elleng]

5. and thats whats good about them,

because school boards are so strongly influenced by politics.

I didn't read the posts, and don't want to argue with you.

[madfloridian]

6. Well, then you agree with Arne and Barack.

And you will get your charter schools.

You don't think Walmsrt who donates 50 million a year to these schools will be political?

You don't think some of the private companies who run them will be political.

Moot issue...you want them you got them.

[elleng]

8. Do NOT put words in my mouth.

I attended public schools, thru college; my daughters did not, because there were none suitable for them here. One is attending a public university now.

I want opportunity for ALL children; seeing the miserable education children in DC receive at public schools, I want them to be able to attend private schools thru voucher programs, and curriculum and staff varied charter schools. Sorry that you haven't seen and don't understand what I have.

[madfloridian]

23. You don't approve of public schools. That is your right.

The propaganda has worked, and under a Democratic administration we will lose what our country has had for many years..a public school system.

Ain't it ironic?

[elleng]

27. You've got it wrong.

Where did YOU learn to read?

I attended public schools, and in the past they seemed to have been able to respond fairly well to the needs of students and teachers. That appears largely no longer to be the case. I've noticed that these days, many if not most public school systems are unable to use decent judgment as to curriculum and approaches to teaching, learning, and behavior.

I very well appreciate our need for schools, provided by government, that educate youngsters so they and we can prosper. In too many instances schools are handicapped and are not able to do so. Innovation must be acknowledged as a positive attribute for schools, and not fought as a threat.

What's 'ironic' is you suggesting that supporting approaches to education that encourage innovation has been caused by 'propaganda,' when its really trial and error, observation and study, that so results.

[madfloridian]

29. Where did I learn to read? You really asked me that? Great way to have a discussion.

If that is what you want.

:shrug:

[kenfrequed]

84. Innovation

This is a buzzword used to sell things in the modern corporate world. Usually it is used to sell market based solutions. If there are real solutions how hard would it be to just suggest them? Is there something about our current system that does not allow for solutions to exist?

Why throw out vague non-descriptive terms like 'innovation' without explaining what the hell it means?

[Luminous Animal]

7. School boards are democratic institutions...

Private corporations (profit and non-profit) are not.

[elleng]

9. Charter schools are NOT private corporations.

.

[aquart]

10. And they ain't public schools.

[Hannah Bell]

13. yes, some of them *are* run by private corporations, for profit. and some, putatively

"non-profit," contract with for-profit "management" services.

and some receive corporate funding to top off the public money they get.

[kaygore]

37. The ones I know sure are run that way

[edc]

53. Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

:rofl: "The second main idea behind charters is that state directives are strangling public school innovations. That's why charters are exempted from many regulations restricting the operations of traditional public schools".

Of course state directives are strangling public innovation. That was always the idea. That's because we have effectively federalized public education and states kow-tow for the money. The people responsible for this are the very ones who now propose charter schools as a solution to their original NCLB solution, bleating the very same mantra of accountability and their concern for children, especially the poor.

Public education is the last major institution to be privatized in the name of greater efficiency through deregulation. After what's happened in this country since 1980, you have to be either unwilling to acknowledge history or a complete imbecile to support the continued theft of the public domain by the same corporate crooks that brought you the Wall Street fiasco.

[kaygore]

87. I agree--once they privatize public education, that's the end

Study after study shows that children in for-profit schools and charter schools actually learn less than their counterparts by and large. In fact, the Bush administration ended federal funds and support studies on this topic as public education won hands down each time.

[edc]

91. It's become quite the fad

to trumpet or to falsify research data that support an a priori agenda and to bury or ignore what doesn't. Climate change is probably the best example of this, but education research is right up there.

[proud2BlibKansan]

42. They aren't public schools

1. Many are run by private corporations. Like WalMart.

2. They do not have publicly elected school boards.

3. They do not have to admit every child who applies.

4. They can kick out kids they don't want, don't like or who are too hard to teach.

5. They can make up their own rules and are not held to the same standards as public schools.

Just because our tax dollars support charter schools doesn't mean they are public schools.

[JDPriestly]

72. Charter schools may differ, but those I am familiar with are

run by private corporations -- using a lot of public money. It is a travesty. It is wrong to give public money to private groups in that way. Public money should be used for public purposes and managed by public entities that are required to make decisions in a transparent fashion.

As I understand it, charter school scores are not better than those of public schools when the schools that are compared have students of similar backgrounds.

[Hippo_Tron]

11. And in a lot of instances they are failed democratic institutions

Some positions are better to remain unelected, such as the courts.

[Hannah Bell]

14. everything is influenced by politics, & charter schools *certainly* are.

[JDPriestly]

71. School boards answer to the voters. That's good in my book.

Charter schools answer to their wealthy backers. That's bad in my book.

Some children I know went to a charter music school. I taught music many years ago, and I can tell you that those children did not learn much musicianship in their charter music school. It was very sad. The several experiences I have had with charter schools were not good.

[kenfrequed]

83. Oh yeah

Becase being influenced by profits is much better than being influenced by politics.

Waitaminute!!!

Bigger fish alert. You don't like school boards because the are 'politically motivated'?

Other than being elected, what could that possibly mean. Don't you like elected officials or the existence of elections?

[juno jones]

59. In CA they are public and are regulated by the state

They simply offer an alternative classroom structure. There is no 'selecting' students, etc.

They worked well for my son, who has asberger's. The 'schoolhouse' set up with multiple grades in the same classroom and the same teacher for a couple of years gave him both the flexibility and stability to finally succeed at school, something he was having problems with in the traditional mold.

That said, I also know that in other states charters are more privatized and selective. IMO they should be availible as a public alternative under the eye of the district and/or state, but regular schools have their place as well.

[madfloridian]

60. Public school have served this country well during our history.

Yet now we hear that there may be a place for them?

The world turned upside down.

[juno jones]

82. I went to public school and I am more than happy with what I recieved.

I took my kid out of traditional public school because he has problems in math and their solution was to send him to special ed for math. Fine. But the teacher he had would call him and another student out every day when math started to be sure to inform them in front of the class to go there for there lessons. My kid is an aspie. he started getting teased and then bullied for being in 'special class'. The teacher refused to see the results of her behavior other than to wonder to me why he hated her and avoided the other children. Between tearful nights when a child who had previously loved school was saying he never wanted to go back and having her threaten to flunk him, I hit the road.

The charter school next door (which was not run by Wal-mart, they aren't in CA AFAIK, most seem to be linked up with the school districts there, but that was obviously my own experience) was more than happy to take him. The schoolroom style classes with multiple levels being taught at once worked well for him because, although he has a hard time at math, he is an excellent writer and is far beyond many adults in his grasp of literature and history.

He had the same teacher for 3 years, a guy who took the time to know him, work with him, who tracked his progress and got him curled up so far into books that he has never stopped reading and now watches almost no TV because he'd rather read. There was a strict 'No Bullying' policy on the campus and since he was percieved as not being so different from the others, he was accepted.


Mileage may vary, but the charter school setup was what my son needed. He is now at an alternative public high school (administered by the district) that incorporates the same class/teacher structure as the charter he went to. He is in running start and by the time he graduates this spring will have completed a third of his college requirements maintaining a 3-something average, something I'm not sure he would do if he had been constantly singled out for special ed for the last 6 years. He is also not bullied, which is an important factor in my descisions having endured all kinds of bullying from violent to covertly sexual during my high school years.


I respect the hell out of teachers, my dad was an educator and my aunt a primary school teacher. But what has worked for my son is alternative classroom structure, which I don't see most public schools adopting.

I say this as someone who needed an alternative for a special needs child. Someone who had no money for a private school and was offered no other alternatives by the public one beyond dumping him in SpEd. I have no beef with public schools but in their current form I do not think they necessarily are the best option for every child.

I agree with you more often than not MadF :hi: We are all vicimized by the pittance of money that goes to education of any kind in this country. To pit two systems against each other, both of which have their merits, is par for the course in our political enviroment.

PS: I do not however agree with corporate-sponsored charters or religious-based charters. The charter I dealt with was neither of those things.

[rucognizant]

95. Devil's Advocate X 2..............

Arne DUncan's Deputy Sect. is to be Glenn Cummings....from MAine. He was the DEMOCRATIC Speaker of the MAine House a few years ago. I had the pleasure of attending a conference, designed to "juice up" art destinations in the state last year. The emphasis of our tourism bureau, has been aimed at hikers, boaters, and campers...............the conference was to shift that focus to favor the many, many artistic ventures particularly in the Downeast part of the state. Glenn Cummings spoke eloquently..... progressively, big advocate for culture, as a result of his background and pleasure in participating. There is NO WAY I can picture him going along with anything regressive in public education.
That said.................I am an excellent teacher. I have taught kids in my private art studio, off & on, for 50 years.
One of my first students, is now married to my cousin, and part of DC society ( cousin's law firm WON the Hamden vs Rumsfeld case in favor of Hamden!) At a family reunion, she and her sister made it a point to come up and testify how I had enriched their lives with my teaching! I have had similar incidents over the years. Yet I can't teach in the public school system, because horror of horrors I don't have a ~ DEGREE~ I've just invested 50 years of my life, 10/7 in the study of art, fortunately being able to earn a living with it in a very free, wheeling independant way. ( I had a crew, and traveled in the Eastern States painting murals, setting my own terms.......)
I have also developed a negative opinion of how the public schools are run. They are so constipated, entrenched, and in the box, it's pathetic! I have heard enumerable horror stories, ( mostly from student's Mothers) about how public school art teachers had discouraged young budding artists. I live in a Republican ( changing now) Town and attended numerous meetings where the school board members showed their conservative values, and there were never enough of us to push through and vote for change!I have been an AmeriCorps*VISTA assigned to a school to try to effect change there.......with very limited success......
My Grandson's school tried to get him on ritalin by threatening dire consequences to my Daughter. held back! SHe refused absolutely.,.. and 8 months later he had the highest score from his school on the Nat math & science 8th grade Fed.mandated test.!
I COULD TEACH IN A CHARTER SCHOOL! MAYBE IT IS TIME TO TEAR DOWN THE STRUCTURE THAT EXHISTS AND REBUILD IT IN A BETTER WAY?
I got the equivalent of a college education in high school , back in the early 50's as did all my classmates whether they
became secrataries or homemakers or farmers.................... Like Madelaine Dunham, Obama's Grandmother, you didn't HAVE to have a degree to be smart!
If you are going to freak out do it about the 'bat shit crazy" behavior of the Repigs. They are VERY DANGEROUS!
( through his thirst for knowledge; not by rote memorizing!)

[Hannah Bell]

12. No, charter schools *are not* all public schools, no matter how often you & your buddies say so.

[elleng]

15. What is this 'buddies' thing?

I attended public schools, and have spent MANY thousands on private schools for my children. Each jurisdiction sets its schools up differently, and everyone should know that.

[Hannah Bell]

17. buddies = the folks who keep repeating: "charter schools *are* public schools"

no, they're not all public schools. in fact, *at least* 20% aren't, even though they get public monies.

[elleng]

18. As is often the case,

there seems to be a disagreement about 'definitions.'

'in the United States, Australia and Canada: A school funded from tax revenue and most commonly administered to some degree by government or local government agencies.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_school

[madfloridian]

20. They ARE funded by public money, which takes it from the traditional public school.

But there is always another party involved to run it. I put all that in the OP

Charter schools are taking money from public schools that are regulated by the federal state and county governments.

They are not regulated in the methods they use.

[elleng]

21. Which is one of the best things about them;

they can innovate.

[madfloridian]

22. So could the banks and other giant corporations when they were deregulated.

That's not a very good argument for schools.

[elleng]

24. The BEST argument for charter schools is that they CAN innovate.

If you are satisfied with the way youngsters are taught today, well then, I guess you DO deserve 'regular' public schools. You and yours can have them.

Haim G. Ginott (1922-1973) was a teacher, child psychologist and psychotherapist, who worked with children, teachers and parents. He pioneered techniques for conversing with children that are still taught today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haim_Ginott

I have come to a frightening conclusion.
I am the decisive element in the classroom.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis
will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized.

Between Teacher and Child

http://eqi.org/ginott.htm#Notes%20from%20Haim%20Ginott's%20Books

Any Child can Write

http://books.google.com/books?id=rck7j1cA8nQC&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=chaim+ginott&source=bl&ots=kVbHnFV7bu&sig=YJ9gJd-PkXr1H3Ej6Sv7HL36ms8&hl=en&ei=rCLaSYj2GJTslQf1tYzODA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8

[madfloridian]

25. It was also a "good" argument for deregulation of financial institutions

You say "I guess you DO deserve 'regular' public schools. You and yours can have them."

That's an amazing statement. Yes, we all deserve public schools.

[elleng]

28. INNOVATION was NOT an argument for deregulation.

'FREEDOM' from rules that required financial institutions properly and honestly to serve the public was sought and obtained by 'deregulators.'

You and yours can have 'regular' public schools, that was my point; I guess you missed it. If I had school-age children, I would seek innovative and creative charter schools.

[madfloridian]

30. No longer will there be "regular" public schools.

Because there won't be any money for them under this administration's policies.

Innovation is a catch all word for chaos.

[kenfrequed]

89. It is a meaningless term

Like
"compassionate conservatism"
or
"wisdom of the free market"
or
"Fiscally conservative"

or my absolute favorite nonsense term "moderate."

[Mithreal]

61. Anyone who refuses to read the op shouldn't post on it. nt

[bridgit]

69. 'innovation' is the Hallmark of American Capitalism; and if it isn't it *should* be...

'capitalism' was the argument for deregulation and that is part of why & where the world fell into the pieces many of us see before us...imo of course

[JDPriestly]

73. Public schools could innovate if the federal government ended NCLB/

No Child Left Behind was simply a method for making public schools unattractive. Charter schools should be ended, and innovation and local autonomy should be instituted in regular public schools. The magnet school programs were great. Parents should have more school choice -- but the teachers should be regular public school teachers with college education degrees. The coursework that teachers complete in order to get certified is very important. I would not want my children to go to a school in which teachers were not certified, and that is the case in many private schools and, as I understand it, also in the charter schools.

Teacher certification is a great thing. Courses in educational psychology and teaching methodology and testing are very important.

[bridgit]

26. One of the best things about them...is that they have found a way...

to latch onto; oh I'm sorry, to "innovate" already scarce funding up-out-and-away from the public school system and spend it on shit like this:

http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/billbennett.html

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/1/8/125556/7027

You want your kid to have alternatives that's one thing, but you're a straight up tool in a tool box if you aren't able to see that privatization concerns have come for the money and the money, as represented in glossy brochures with smiling milky white teethed educators standing beside American flags or knowingly patting the topsy heads of otherwise happy children, has mesmerized parents, perhaps even yourself; into thinking that a caste system predicated upon social strata and an ability to rest funding from they unable to secure it for themselves for lack of an advocate; is more-the-future American's *actually* believe in but are too phony to say as much,

No Child Left Behind is imo the intro primer to contract/mercenary armies ala Blackwater

[madfloridian]

32. Thanks for the Kos link. Did Ignite go under? Links to Neil Bush's site are dead.

I think I will do a little search.

I think the name of his program was COW. }(

[kaygore]

38. I think that Ignite was largely a way to funnel federal money to Neil

[proud2BlibKansan]

43. Yes it is COW

Curriculum on Wheels

[roody]

66. Why not let the public school innovate?

[kenfrequed]

85. Buzzword alert.

Again with this 'innovate' thing. Explain to me what it means to 'Innovate.' Charter schools have been around for well over a decade now in one form or another. Tell us what these bloody innovations are and stop just using the word as some kind of 'magic word.'

[kaygore]

88. Pubic schools can innovate, too--check out Lemon Grove School District

http://www.lemongroveschools1.net

[QC]

58. Around here they are publicly -funded private schools, in practice. n/t

[mopinko]

31. i agree with you.

charter schools in chicago are MORE accountable than the established schools. they can and do get their charters pulled. they must get the approval of parents every 2 (?) years, or loose that charter. and most of them here in chicago are not owned or funded by any corporate entity. one is run by the university of chicago lab school (where the obama girls used to go), a renowned school, that has a charter in one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. others are owned by themselves. most work with underserved populations of one sort or another.
and oh, yeah, the teachers union owns 10 charters. and the exemptions to union rules that have been granted to charters almost all relate to work hours and days. and all are subject to the same testing requirements, and the same expectations of success.
i agree the right wing used ideas like vouchers and charters to undermine public education. but the reason those themes worked for them is that many people see them as sensible ideas. there is nothing inherently evil in the idea of more schools with different missions. there is nothing inherently evil about a few schools not run by school boards which are often stupid political dog and pony shows.
and here in chicago, there is nothing racist or separatist about them either. there are damn few white kids even in the system. the only way to segregate your kids is to move to a different STATE. those people have pretty much all fled.

i don't bash public schools. my kids went to them, are going to them. but one size does not fit all, and until they see fit to address that, then others should be allowed to come in and do it. in a system the size of chicago's there should be a plan b. but mostly, there isn't. there are a few slots for kids with serious mental illnesses, and serious personality disorders. but that is about it. the 50% drop out rate among males is not addressed at all. most of the programs that these kids used to be funneled into- the more career/trade oriented stuff, is gone. there is nothing. i have the drop out kid to prove it. a kid who went through all of elementary school, flunking all the time while teachers kept saying- "but he is so smart. i love having him in class. he drives the whole discussion in the classroom." nobody cared what these constant declarations of failure did to the kid. and nobody had a plan b. not even when he dropped out at 16.

i post this stuff in these arne bashing threads all the time, and oddly, i rarely get a reply. some people see what they want to see, i guess.

[alstephenson]

34. And I agree with you, mopinko.

There are those that like to paint charter schools with a very broad brush stroke, which is unfair. There are many, many charter school success stories. And many, many dedicated and committed charter school administrators and educators. And many, many at-risk children who will finish school because they were given an alternative form of education. Why not work to make charter schools better instead of trying to totally eliminate the concept?

I know what you mean about not getting a reply to these threads - it's pretty much a waste of time to post anything positive about charter schools. I guess I don't understand the level of animosity surrounding this topic... :shrug:

[proud2BlibKansan]

47. We have around a dozen charters here

and ONE is reasonably successful. ONE.

But there is no accountability. Their test scores are abysmal. Yet they are not held accountable, they are not forced to change programs, fire principals or transfer staff when their scores are low - as the public schools are.

Principals who have been fired from the public schools are hired by our charters. So are teachers. They also hire teachers who are not certified. It's all part of their "innovative" approach. They also hire a lot of retired and part time teachers so they don't have to pay health insurance or retirement.

And when they have those low test scores and the high dropout rates, they are given time to do better.

One of our charters graduated THREE kids last year. THREE. But they were considered successful because all three got scholarships.

They are free to admit or not admit any kid they want. And they routinely kick out kids they don't want. Unlike the public schools, there is no hearing required and no legal process to follow before they expel a kid.

When kids apply, they have to list references. I teach special ed and have received many of these calls from the charters when my students apply. Guess what? Not a one has ever been admitted. As soon as they hear I am a special ed teacher, they make polite conversation and end the call.

And every year they take more and more state funding from our public schools which are inadequately funded in the first place.

There is also no union at any charter for any of the employees.

I am glad you are pleased with the charters in your area. But ours suck. And we get three more next year. Whoopee.

[mopinko]

54. well, perhaps the fact that we do not have that here speaks to mr duncan's

abilities as an administrator. we have finally had schools, that never did anything but fail, that are being shut down. that did not happen in my remembrance until arne duncan came along. the school board was all about contracts for their friends, and oh, yeah, i guess we gotta deal with these kids. let's buy some new canned curriculum that my brother in law is selling.
people were moving to the burbs in droves. our mayor, a great democrat, took charge, and made things happen.

we not only have good administration, we have an extraordinary resource here. there are 38 universities just in the down town area. everything from the top 10 to a solid foundation of very inexpensive city colleges. chicago is the home to oodles of nobel laureates. when we do these sort of things, we have a lot to bring to the table.

look, i am just trying to get the story out there of what has happened in chicago. they have been well run, they have enormous academic support. they get the exact same dollars as the public schools. and they fill in a lot of the cracks in the old system.

arne duncan is a smart guy, he knows what he is talking about. he knows what he is doing. some people are judging him based on some warmed over old buzz words, instead of listening to someone who is on the scene.

[proud2BlibKansan]

57. Well call me a skeptic

But I do hope you are correct and Arne will truly help our kids. :hi:

[mopinko]

62. i think that skepticism can be, as our president has said-

a sorry sort of wisdom. i don't mean that in a mean way. but it is hard to move forward from a place of skepticism. and folks here, and elsewhere, are trashing a good dem, a very kind, caring heart, a great life experience, a harvard cum laude education, and a proven track record. that makes it hard to move forward. we all need each other's trust and support to move on. if your skepticism does not get in the way of what needs to be done, then it is fine. but if it leads to a standstill, (not you alone, of course) it is the children who will suffer the most.
i hesitate to get into this stuff, but i take arne bashing personally. chicago, right now, imho, is a model for the nation. arne was a big, big part of that. he deserves a chance.

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Sancho]

74. Charters are a way to defeat teacher unions, segregate, and privatize.

No one disagrees with innovation; and I've taught in public schools that were alternative education centers for special needs children. There are zillions of examples of whole schools and districts that have innovated. My wife and I have taught in pubic and private schools and colleges in three states over the last 30+ years. Believe me, charter schools will not solve our education problems. Testing for accountability and diagnosis is a good idea. Unfortunately, now testing has become a waste of money (Florida's development of the state test was $126,000,000 and it costs $40,000,000 per year to administrate.) Testing is used now to segregate and it stifles creativity! Take the money, have lily-white schools, and create an elite class. That was the plan of the fundamental-nazis and they won the battle.

Charter schools are a way for those same fundamental, right-wingers to get the camel's nose into the tent. They play on a few desirable programs that parents love, and get you hooked. Unfortunately the real agenda behind the charter movement is mostly to privatize education and steal the money. With the largest number of children born last year in the history of the US, the education system is facing a large tab along with demands for quality. The private companies are licking their chops to get some of the dough. The "public" military is likely to be cut back, but the Haliburton model worked well. The contracts with the government for innovative weapons was a great success (for the crooks)!

The right wing has a plan...take an emotional issue to get everyone on their side (right-to-life, etc.); and then take the money and run. Charter schools would be fine if they were only a way to specialize education for some children or provide efficient staffing. Unfortunately, the privatizers quickly take the sparse funds and make millions for investors. Remember that when your child gets a smaller class, some technology, or a highly trained teacher in that charter; some private company is likely skimming a profit while someone else's child is being ignored or failing to get the services they deserved. You win! They lose! I like to hope that progressives have a higher standard than simple survival of the fittest!

Obama's private school in Hawaii that he attended from 6th to 10th grade was great! ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punahou_School ) The current tuition at that school is about $17,000 per year in today's dollars and that doesn't cover all the costs! That didn't include the support from the grandparents for housing, etc. If every single-parent could send their child to an enriched school with wonderful facilities and excellent teachers - we would have a nation full of Obama's rising up from immigrants, low SES kids, and everyday folks! Does every child get a fair shot? Obama was lucky! My parents were from poor, rural low SES communities in the south and PUBLIC schools took them to medical school and college professor jobs using improved funding of PUBLIC schools in the 30's and 40's. Desegregation began in the 50's. Special education effectively began ( PL 94-142 ) in the 70's. LBJ continually improved education in the 60's because he started out as a public school teacher! K to college: education for ALL! That was the great ideal.

In Florida, the average amount spent per student is more like $6,000 per student. If you want the same education for your kids that Obama received, then get rid of half the military budget, get rid of the profiteers, and demand proper funding for your public schools! Don't fall for the propaganda! Don't turn back the clock!


:rant:

[mopinko]

86. here is what i think about this whole issue- local politics plays out in schools.

people in red states end up with fundie wackos in their schools, because they are full of fundie wackos. here in chicago, we have great resources, and sane government. our schools reflect that.
i don't think that colleges are bad because of who started them, or whether or not they make a profit. i don't feel like the church is intruding into the state if we give a pell grant to a kid at byu. yes, i know that elementary schools are different. but there have always been other schools. it has not turned the public schools to mush.
and again, here, where we have good ones, charters fill a niche. one size does not fit all. public schools serve the kids in the middle well. the kids on the ends, not so much. i am in favor of anybody that gives ALL kids the education they need.

and once more- the charters here get the same money, they take any kid, (and btw, the public schools can and do get rid of kids. usually they send them to somewhere where their needs are better met.) they don't charge anything extra. they ARE public schools.

[Sancho]

92. maybe that's true in the windy city, but hook, line, and sinker...you are caught!

be careful little grasshopper. Been there, done that, have the t-shirt. One day you'll wake up (or your kids will send their kids to schools), that have been Blackwatered by the GOP Nazis...

there is a place for private doctors, lawyers, schools, and Indian Chiefs. If you think you can keep them separate in the public schools, then good luck. When the great problems begin and your kids are in college; will YOU go back and FIGHT for those caught in the crossfire?

I'm a hard-core church-goer, and I taught at a private Christian college! I see manipulation of the "system" by exactly the reasons that you cite. What is true now opens the door of trouble with a capital T. If one size doesn't fit ALL (good teachers know that), then the public schools should be able to serve ALL. That we agree on!

Are you checking the books and contracts? Betcha that there are some hidden dollars in there!

Some kids are best served outside of the regular schools and are too extreme. They need psychological placements or residential services. Again, is that something that ALL deserve or just some kids?

[mopinko]

93. all do not need it.

yes, good teachers know that one size does not fit all. nonetheless, fitting all learning styles and needs into any one classroom is just not possible. good teachers know that, too. the range of human abilities is just too large to do justice to all in the same setting.
look, i have a kid that needed a therapeutic day school. it was provided by a jewish service organization that never once proselytized, never once had a fund raiser, and did a professional job from start to finish. it saved my kids life.
do all kids need that? come on.
should the public schools be doing that? it just wouldn't make that much sense. out of a district of thousands and thousands of kids, this school had 25. i think it would fall through the cracks.
they have been doing this for many, many years. it takes a special kind of dedication, and a highly trained, specialized staff, and cps can barely find enough math teachers.
there are other special needs that they deal with in the same way. it works here. it works well here.
maybe arne can teach people how to do it well.

[Sancho]

94. Exactly! I once worked at a psychoed-center that was fully staffed!

Therapists, social workers, psychiatrists..and I had a class of seven! 100% public school funded 25 years ago. Where are the bucks now? Charter schools are one of the drains. We served all exceptionalities and included family and home visits. PUBLIC schools can do that. Don't need a charter.

http://www.pioneerresa.org/programs/alpine.asp

[tooeyeten]

41. about that testing

Doesn't more testing benefit some corporation?

And isn't more testing another way to destroy the public school system?

[mopinko]

63. did you hear your president? he addressed the problems of education

in detail the night of the wi primary. teaching to the test was pointed out as clearly a bad thing, something that should be abolished. he also called for a policy of teaching the whole child. of bringing music and art back to all the schools. about accurate teaching of the physical and social sciences. of establishing specialty programs for kids with special talents like writing, and acting.
and guess what? we have that here in chicago. we have deep resources here, funny how that happens when dems run towns. we have top notch teachers, not just in math and reading, but in a broad range of subjects. we have a huge supply of volunteers that give a lot of time to reach out to students with talents. we turn out amazing students.

this is what we do here. this is why barack wanted him. because he has seen what it takes to get it done.
i trust arne, and i trust barack.

[madrchsod]

16. arne thinks children are machines...

he`s setting up a huge factory system of education to produce scores not an educated student.

[MadHound]

19. And the march towards a privatized, two tier system of education continues unabated

All that Obama and Duncan are doing is putting a kinder, gentler face on the movement. But the fact of the matter is that we're going to get more testing, merit pay, more charter schools, more schools "failing" which will lead to more vouchers and a two tier education system.

[madfloridian]

33. Exactly. "more testing, merit pay, more charter schools, more schools "failing"

Exactly. There is no magic wand in educating children. The testing is killing the soul and the spirit.

[LWolf]

56. Hence my unmitigated rage. nt

[madfloridian]

35. "charter schools are being strategically used to pave the way for vouchers"

In a stock market prospectus uncovered by education author Jonathan Kozol, the Montgomery Securities group explains to Corporate America the lure of privatizing education. Kozol writes:

“The education industry,” according to these analysts, “represents, in our opinion, the final frontier of a number of sectors once under public control” that have either voluntarily opened or, they note in pointed terms, have “been forced” to open up to private enterprise. Indeed, they write, “the education industry represents the largest market opportunity” since health-care services were privatized during the 1970’s.... From the point of view of private profit, one of these analysts enthusiastically observes, “The K–12 market is the Big Enchilada.”1

The same author says that charter schools are considered a path to vouchers, since the word "vouchers" has now been discredited.

http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/2009/02/charter-schools-and-attack-on-public.html

Charter schools are, according to Kozol, a bridge toward vouchers:

"In the long run, charter schools are being strategically used to pave the way for vouchers. The voucher advocates, who are very powerful and funded by right-wing foundations and families, recognize that the word “voucher” has been successfully discredited.... They have now shrewdly decided the best way to break down resistance to vouchers is by supporting charters, which represents a halfway step in the same direction. One of the intentions of this, by creating selective institutions, usually with extra forms of funding, is to discredit the entire public enterprise in America. We already have the privatization of the military, as we’ve seen with the private military contractors in Iraq; we’ve seen the privatization of the prison system. Well, the next step is the privatization of public schools. It’s a matter of ideology. In rare occasions, a charter school created by teachers in the public system and in collaboration with activist parents in the community have had at least short-term success.... They tend very quickly—even when they’re started by teachers with the best intentions—to enter into collaboration with the private sector.9

[kaygore]

36. k&r

Thank you as always for your timely and well written and researched articles!

[Stinger2]

39. Charter School should teach Satanism and then be Tested!

The Edutopia Poll

The Ben Gamla Charter School, in Broward County, Florida, is slated to open in August 2007 as the nation’s first English-Hebrew charter. Some see the school as a secular, bilingual institution, but others, noting a principal who is a rabbi and the emphasis on Jewish history and tradition, see Ben Gamla as a parochial school using public funds.
Similarly, in Minnesota, the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy is a public charter school that claims to impart the values as well as the language and history of Islam. Are these schools garnering unnecessary criticism, or do they represent a blurring of boundaries between religion and government? Tell us what you think.
Do religious-leaning charter schools violate the separation of church and state?

http://www.edutopia.org/religious-charter-schools-violate-separation

America has totally lost its way, Money to a Hebrew schools or the language and history of Islam is just as wrong as one that teaches Satanism.

School testing is just another way to privatize and steal tax payers dollars.

America has totally lost its way!!!!!

[madfloridian]

40. Arne says stimulus money to be used for reform, and a lot for charter schools

If schools don't use the money for reform, they won't get a 2nd round of stimulus.

I wonder about this. Florida for example is on the verge of laying off hundreds and hundreds of teachers in some counties.

IF they are required to use the stimulus to "reform" by testing databases and charter schools, then I would say that is "disaster capitalism" at work. So many schools are in crisis right now. I guess they think this would be a good time to "use the crisis" to get the charter schools.

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-grade/charter-schools/2009/03/us-education-secretary-duncan-warns-schools-to-spend-stimulus-on-reform/

"U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan warned today that he expects states and school districts to spend incoming stimulus money on true innovation, not the “status quo.”

Moreover, schools that do not spend the money on reform, he said, will not be favored for upcoming federal grants, and could even lose out in a second round of stimulus funding. Duncan spoke with reporters, including from the Post-Dispatch, this morning to discuss education reforms laid out in President Obama’s budget proposal.

He said the department will “aggressively pursue a reform agenda.”

He talked about rewarding teacher excellence, encouraging alternative certification, and building financial incentives to persuade good teachers to go to troubled schools. He encouraged schools to think about extending school days, school weeks, school years. He said more money will be dedicated to charter schools than ever before.

Most are good ideas, but this is crisis time. Perhaps some private coffers will be given access to public schools in this time.

In Florida failing schools may be turned into charter schools. Using disaster capitalism to get the charter agenda. Deprive the schools of funding, them when they are down.

Around the world, disaster is providing the means for business to accumulate profit. From the Asian tsunami of 2005 that allowed corporations to seize coveted shoreline properties for resort development to the multi-billion dollar no-bid reconstruction contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, from the privatization of public schooling following Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast to the ways that No Child Left Behind sets public school up to be dismantled and made into investment opportunities--a grotesque pattern is emerging in which business is capitalizing on disaster. Naomi Klein has written of,

"... the rise of a predatory form of disaster capitalism that uses the desperation and fear created by catastrophe to engage in radical social and economic engineering. And on this front, the reconstruction industry works so quickly and efficiently that the privatizations and land grabs are usually locked in before the local population knows what hit them."
Just some thoughts. America's public school system was our strength until the Reagan years started talking the system down.

It worked.

[fascisthunter]

44. charter schools... more tax money and less oversight

more privatization of our commons and no accountability for what they teach.

[TBF]

45. Outstanding OP & chilling that there are not more recs.

I guess this is where the dem party is going. The signs are clear.

[madfloridian]

46. There are few recs because the propaganda worked so well

Most of the people here really think teachers are bad overall, and that public schools are failing.

Well, the schools were not failing when they were treated properly and given funding they needed.

It's amazing how this country has turned against public schools since the Reagan years started.

[TBF]

49. In Texas the testing system is actually under fire -

Despite all of Bush's "efforts" his standardized testing puts Texas 46th in the nation, and his TAKS testing is likely to be eliminated in the next few years -

AUSTIN — The much-maligned, high-stakes TAKS test would be eliminated, and more emphasis put on preparing high school students for college or a job, under legislation intended to dramatically change the way education progress is measured in Texas.

“We have counted on testing and testing only. And it’s caused a lot of angst in the schools,” Senate Public Education Chair Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said Wednesday about the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

“We’ll still test, but we’re using other variables to give us the results that we need.”

Shapiro and House Public Education Chair Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, plan to file the school accountability legislation on Thursday. The changes — which would start in the 2011-12 school year — aim to gradually elevate Texas into the top 10 states when it comes to preparing students for college or equipping them with workforce skills."

(cite: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6294436.html)

[Stinger2]

50. That brings us back to the greed thing.

Some politicians decided to privatize all the in house janitorial jobs that had real people strolling the halls everyday in schools. Privatizing make some people that own these businesses lots of money but suck for the schools, students and teachers. Now they put armed guards instead of janitors that spend more tax dollars. That brings us back to the greed thing.

[Stinger2]

51. Milken is also a major donor to the Milken Community High School, a private Jewish high school.

P. S. Tikkun Olam: Veteran Jewish educator opens charter school driven by vision of a community

"There is very little freedom within the curriculum and a huge emphasis on testing," she said of her experience with LAUSD. "You can't really be a great teacher because you're spending all your time preparing for tests."

http://www.jewishjournal.com/education/article/p_s_tikkun_olam_veteran_jewish_educator_opens_charter_school_driven_by_visi/

Teachers are spending all your time preparing for tests, but not in charter schools. How Special!!!!


Milken is also a major donor to the Milken Community High School, a private Jewish high school.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Milken

[MasonJar]

52. "Greasing the way," Arne. Do you use lard or olive oil? Arne is another example

of Barack Obama's egregious misjudgements in choosing his cabinet/principle advisors. Teachers in general are working so diligently to teach something to students who won't study (these days not even for a test) and for principals who were too uninterested in students to stay in the classroom and parents and society which undervalue knowledge. I just left teaching last year and there is no way that more testing will solve any problems. Tests are part of the problem because teachers have to spend their energy teaching to the test...Board mandated. Charter schools are a cop-out and teacher merit pay is unneeded. In an average school 99% of the teachers would deserve the pay. Who chooses who gets left out or do all teachers get the raise they deserve? Merit pay should be instituted for politicians and Wall Street shysters, not hardworking, underpaid, overperforming public school faculty. This kind of chichanery is not the change I voted for.

[LWolf]

55. Have I mentioned, recently, or ever...

how much I appreciate you?

:loveya:

:kick:

[madfloridian]

98. The feeling is mutual.

Very much. :hi:

[madfloridian]

64. Well, this new criterium sure would have kept me out of teaching.

I went into the teaching field when I graduated from college. I did not go into another profession first. I am really surprised that this is mandated.

teachers must have experience outside of educational fields

Duncan clarifies education bailout

Around $100 billion of the stimulus package will be going to the Department of Education, which will distribute the money to schools in need. Part of the need is better teaching, and another part is a revamped testing system. More difficult tests will improve students' abilities, which will ultimately raise the standards of the school itself. Instead of students getting higher test scores on easier tests, students will struggle to do well on harder exams, which will result in a better education. Higher math and reading scores will lead to students with better grades and a better understanding of the subject matter.

Standards of teaching should be raised as well. Schools should insure that they only hire competent educators. In addition these teachers must have experience outside of educational fields. This valuable knowledge can be passed from teacher to student. Students will absorb knowledge more like a sponge, instead of reciting it by rote.

Under that requirement I would not have taught over 30 years. That was my profession. I did not have experience outside of the education field except raising my family.

AND another gripe for Mr. Duncan. Is he saying that since students are not doing well on the tests right now....to make the tests harder so they pass more difficult tests? Sounds that way.

He is one testing fool. :eyes: Live by the test, die by the test. It will just as surely harm charter schools if that is the only important thing.

[LWolf]

78. Good catch.

I think that's part of the "get outsiders to teach for a few years" thing that's been pushed for a long time now.

Sometimes it's the "get young graduates to spend a couple of years teaching before they move on to other careers."

Sometimes it's the "bring in people from other professions to teach."

I think some of this push stems from undergrad degrees in education, rather than in other fields.

I got my license in a state that doesn't do BAs in education as part of the process; teaching candidates get a BA in something else, and THEN do 30+ post grad units in education. Most primary teachers get their BA in liberal arts, but it's not required. My BA is in Social Sciences. And, of course, secondary teachers get their BA in whatever subject they are going to teach.

Which is not the point, lol.

I think the point is to push the idea that teaching isn't a profession; that anyone can do it; that it can be a short-term career.

That experience doesn't count.

It's part of the all out attack on teaching, and the teaching profession. I sometimes wonder if it isn't also a way to justify the extra unpaid hours, the funding of the classroom out of our own pockets, etc.. that teachers do. Like teaching is supposed to be a community service, along the lines of the peace corp., rather than a profession, with well-paid, respected professionals in the classroom.

In reality, we who have done the job know that both subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge, as well as experience, are equally vital to doing the job well. As are large doses of empathy, humility, and the ability to connect with and care about people. To build positive relationships with families and colleagues.

[2Design]

65. Corporations are winning and the people are losing -

rw agenda is winning - this is a huge mistake - tying teachers to lazy students and calling it merit is bs - merit is bs in general even in corporations - these number crunchers are the reason our schools are doing poorly and bad parents and bad corporations - they want robots and when their goals or technology change - tough - no different than out sourcing - they don't get it - deregulation is the problem not the solution - glad I have not kids - they will inherit this mess - I won't be around in 30 years after they have destroyed everything

[democracy1st]

67. K & R , No longer fooled by the democratic party or this administration!

[bridgit]

68. k'd already rec'd #1

:kick:

[JDPriestly]

70. So, Obama fanatics, where is that change we were promised?

This sounds like Bush all over again. Oh, no. Obama is not bringing change. He is bringing stagnation in so many areas. This is really bad.

I think charter schools are a boondoggle. They do not hire the best teachers. They do not offer the best education. Public schools are better for all their problems.

This Arne is a fool or worse.

[Dinger]

75. Bookmarking, Saving, And With Your Permission madfloridian,

I'd like to use this as a basis for a letter to the editor, as well as to my congressman, senators, as well as my state legislators. I'd call today, but I have the worst case of laryngitis I've ever had in my life!

[Dinger]

76. Can Anybody Here Do A Photoshop Of arne duncan and margaret spellings,

as one person? I'll pay money for that, seriously.

[edc]

77. As I See It.

First, you design curricula and divert public school money to private testing companies with the intent of stifling educational innovation in the name of accountability. Then you claim that the public schools are not innovative as a pretext to divert further resources to charter schools and voucher schemes. The only relevant question is what the next pious scam to defraud public K-12 education will be.

[LWolf]

79. You see it clearly. nt

[dysfunctional press]

80. they can throw all the money at all the plans they want...

but until/unless the parents are involved in their child's education, results will continue to be piss-poor.

btw- when do we get a glimpse of the 'change we can believe in'? :shrug:

[roody]

81. I haven't seen any more money used to put more adults

in the classroom. It is used for test practice---now it goes on all school year. It actually is used to take experienced teachers away from kids. Now schools and districts have "data directors" who manage all that data! They used to be teachers.

[madfloridian]

90. NYT 1999: "down the slippery slope toward increased privatization of education."

Charter Schools, Then What?

The time for debating the legislation creating charter schools in New York State has passed, but educators who value public education are nonetheless obliged to speak out now, before too many of the 100 schools permitted by the recently adopted law are created and before the state starts down the slippery slope toward increased privatization of education.

The initial opposition to charter schools voiced by Rudy Crew, New York City Schools Chancellor, is worth remembering. He argued that devoting scarce public money to the charter school alternative will further enervate our public schools, which are already seriously underfinanced. Every dollar going to charter schools is a dollar not going to public schools in this zero-sum relationship.

For the supporters of charter schools, the issues are choice and competition. Consumers -- parents with school-age children -- will enjoy the freedom to choose between charter and public schools, and any choice, it is reasoned, is better than no choice. And letting charter schools compete with public schools will presumably cause public schools to work harder; in districts with low-performing public schools, charter schools will either displace them or force genuine improvement. Implicit in this assumption is a classic free-market notion: that perfect consumers having perfect information will abandon failing public schools for promising charter schools.

It is impossible to miss the leap of faith here. More than 30 states now allow charter schools, but the jury is still out on whether they meet expectations. Has creating them forced public schools to improve? Are parents of charter school students more satisfied than they were before? Are charter schools truly public, or are they publicly financed semi-private schools that have agendas inimical to the public good? The first New York groups to indicate a desire to set up charter schools were religious.

Of greater concern is whether these semi-private charter schools will be a dangerous prelude to the introduction of a voucher system -- one that would give parents even more choice by subsidizing study at private and religious schools. ''Choice'' may be the justification cited by proponents of vouchers, but the real intent will be to assist private education by draining public coffers.

My arguments exactly, though the article is from 10 years ago.

[madfloridian]

96. Kick for Arne and his testing.

I did not know he had closed 100 Chicago schools and opened about that many new charters.

And just like Florida, they let a school fail and turn it into a charter school.

I also did not know that Chicago, Arne's stomping grounds, lead the way in high school military academies.

I am working up another post on the topic soon.

I think President Obama is not very knowledgeable about education, and is relying too much on his buddy buddy Arne.

I think it means the death knell of public schools.

[madfloridian]

97. Kick because we need to know his agenda on testing.

.