The Future Of Charter Schools: Politics Vs. Education

[Geee]

Investors Business Daily:

Anyone who has still not yet understood the utter cynicism of the Obama administration in general, and Attorney General Eric Holder in particular, should look at the Justice Department's latest interventions in education.

 

If there is one thing that people all across the ideological spectrum should be able to agree on, it is that better education is desperately needed by black youngsters, especially in the ghettoes. For most, it is their one chance for a better life.

 

Among the few bright spots in a generally dismal picture of the education of black students are those successful charter schools or voucher schools to which many black parents try to get their children admitted. Some of these schools have not only reached but exceeded national norms, even when located in neighborhoods where the regular public schools lag far behind.

 

Where admission to these schools is by a lottery, the cheers and tears that follow announcements of who has been admitted — and, by implication, who will be forced to continue in the regular public schools — tell the story better than words can.

[Valin]

Why Are the Feds Trying to Stymie Louisianas Top-Ranked Education Reforms?

1/15/14

 

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindals ambitious school voucher programs just got a big boost from one of the biggest names in education reform. Students First, a school reform organization led by former DC schools commissioner Michelle Rhee, released a national state-by-state report card on Tuesday which ranked Louisiana first in the nation with a B- grade, just ahead of Florida, Indiana, and Rhode Island. (As a whole, the report takes a dim view of American education policy: The national average is a D+.) The report card grades states on their performance in three categories: elevating the teaching profession, empowering parents, and spending money wisely. Louisiana ranked above average in all three and was particularly singled out for its teacher evaluation and school choice policies:

 

 

Louisiana has established itself as a national leader for creating innovative and important student-centered education policies. The state has adopted meaningful educator evaluations, and it requires districts to base all personnel decisions, as well as compensation structures, on classroom effectiveness. Louisiana is also a leader for empowering parents with choice and information. The state provides parents with useful and easy-to-understand information regarding school performance in the form of an A-F school report card. In addition to their traditional neighborhood schools, parents can choose from a robust network of public charter schools or take advantage of an opportunity scholarship program that prioritizes low-income students stuck in low-performing schools.

(Snip)

[Valin]

Bill De Blasio to NYC Charter Schools: Drop Dead
2/5/14

Shortly before his election, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio floated a kind of anti-charter trial balloon, letting voters know that if elected he would end the practice of letting charters use public school buildings rent-free. It was a threat, but not one that was too extreme, given that many cities didn’t have NYC’s rent-free charter policy.

 

Now that De Blasio is safely elected, he is throwing down the gauntlet against charters, planning to cut more than $200 million in the Education Department’s new capital plan. Initially, the city sold the change as an attempt to free up more money for pre-K programs, but now the Mayor is dropping even that justification: He says he simply doesn’t want to spend money on charter schools under any circumstances. The New York Daily News reports:

 

(Snip)

 

The charter school issue highlights one of the major fault lines in the Democratic Party: the gap between the producers and the consumers of government services. On the consumer end, wealthy professionals and Silicon Valley types, not to mention many poor urban parents, often favor charter schools as places that have the freedom to try new, better, and cheaper ways of doing things; teacher’s unions, on the other hand, view charters as a way for politicians to staff new schools with lower-paid, non-unionized workers. Both the producers of government services and the consumers are key parts of the Democratic base, making it difficult to split the difference between the two. Many Democrats, most notably President Obama, back the charters; De Blasio’s unbridled contempt for charters makes it clear which side he is on.

[SrWoodchuck]

Common Core Re-Education Camp

 

James Clavell - The Children's story (part 1)

 

 

James Clavell - The Children's story (part 2)

 

 

James Clavell - The Children's story (part 3)

 

 

 

Via iOTW

[Valin]

Common Core Re-Education Camp

Thank You.

[SrWoodchuck]

Common Core Homework

 

‘Who’s The Daddy?’ Homework Assignment Prompts Parent Complaint http://grumpyelder.com/target/whos-the-daddy-homework-assignment-prompts-parent-complaint/

 

 

Sandra McNeill CBS Detroit

 

Whos The Daddy? Homework Assignment Prompts Parent Complaint ROMEO, Mich. (WWJ) – The principal of Romeo High School has called an outraged father to apologize about a controversial homework assignment. The 9th grade biology worksheet sent home with students this week featured questions about a mother trying to determine the identity of her baby’s father.

 

Possible answers included: the cable guy, the mailman, the cab driver, [...]

 

Via iOTW