Post any thoughts you have on public education, education reform, the President's education policies, or what you would like to see change in education.
TMclor
May 24, 2010 4:37 PM
The charter school argument is getting old. First, let’s all just admit there is a selection bias associated with any charter school. Second, charter schools cream. This is a fact. How many ADD kids or kids with violent histories do they take in?
Third, let us all reflect that enough studies have been done to show that charter schools perform no better than public school, and in many cases perform worse; this is controlled for closures to unsuccessful charters.
Regrettably, the new argument by charters is that it’s not fair to measure them based on commonly accepted metrics; welcome to the reality that public schools have been living under for the past 50 years, not so easy is it. Now y’all come out with this anecdotal propaganda. Please.
nick nikolich
May 23, 2010 4:40 PM
As long as we have unions involved ,we will never make the progress !
Bob Bromm
May 23, 2010 10:36 AM
Charter and private schools succeed because they are segregationist. They segregate kids with parents who care about education from kids with parents who don't. Private schools have the added advantage of being able to kick out kids who disrupt the classroom and prevent other kids from learning. Is this good? I think so, but you decide. If all the "good" kids were able to go to charter/private schools what would the public schools be like with nothing but the "dregs" of society? Think armed prison camps.
Shortlink
May 23, 2010 3:50 AM
I wish the documentary would have included the plight of parents in Washington DC where parents given vouchers were able to give their children a good education through private schools. The experience is very similar to what is covered in the film, but because the film limits the focus to charter schools we lose out on additional, important information on what makes a successful school.
My wife is a teacher in a private school near Washington D.C. with over ninety percent African American student population. The students average in the seventy-fifth percentile on national testing and operate the school on a significantly smaller budget than all public schools. Schools in Washington D.C. who participated in the school voucher program experience significant increases in student national testing, but this information is lacking in the documentary.
While some will argue that these schools do not address the full scope of public schools or draw resources away from public schools, we cannot ignore the significance of these pilot programs along with charter schools in identifying and correcting the public school problems.
Ken
May 23, 2010 3:19 AM
All teachers in the US should be paid based upon a simple formula. $50,000 times their Metropolitan Statistical Area's Cost of Living Index times the API percentile for the grade they teach at their school.
May 22, 2010 7:49 PM
I am an educator in a high performing school district in Southern Cal. Saw the interview today on FOX and one question kept going over and over in my mind. What is the Charter School doing that the public school is not? It was my understanding that there was a comparison of 2 schools in the same neighborhood and the Charter School had high academic success. Is the curriculum the same? Are the parents who win the lottery more involved?
Shuquawana
May 29, 2010 1:07 AM
I am a teacher in an urban public school. I am also a mother of a five year old little girl who is currently attending a Blue Ribbon public school within the same district that I work. Personally, I believe that there are a lot of great teachers in public school....and all sectors of education.
Parents who look for charters, "better" public school districts, private schools and all other types of education that are considered "better", really want what is best for their children. These people have decided not to put up with the different red tape and nonsense of public school. The parents are more involved which helps their children...these parents want more than the status quo, which pushes their kids further....these parents know that their children are not the sole responsibility of the teachers.....I think that it is these things and many others that make many charter schools successful.
With all this being said....I am a public school teacher that believes in all children and what they can do....I also believe that there are a lot of great teachers out there.....but I also know that teachers in the public sector have an extremely difficult time when they dont have the support of the parents and the community...it truly does take an entire village to raise a child....And my daughter who is entering first grade this September will be attending a charter school!!!!!!!
JC
May 22, 2010 6:51 PM
As I read these messages the problems in education reveal themselves; it is not me it is them -the parents-, more money, this doesn't work (but it does through out many countries and in parts of the US), and the lack of the words "teach the child". Do we really want to concentrate on teaching the children or are we more concerned about NFT and the rules that go with it. It seems the latter! Lets don't think out of the box, burn the box and start over. The kids MUST come first and what works for them.
Jon Lotz-Lenglain
May 22, 2010 6:19 PM
I will go see this film I'm very excited to see it. I am against charter schools, they are a false hope because they perform the same as regular public schools on average and perhaps even a bit worse. New York City is the only exception as far as I know where the Charters are doing better, but that means nothing, it's the same as a regular public school producing better results in, say, Oregon.
Nobody seems to care that these charters are segregationist, mostly catering to minorities! I could go on and on about charters
Lisa
May 23, 2010 2:35 PM
The advantage of Charters is when they don't perform, they
are shut down. In addition, teachers don't have tenure, so if
they don't perform, they are not re-hired.
Barbara
May 24, 2010 2:32 PM
You need to do more research - the successful charter schools that are saving educationally under-served kids from a dim future are not just like public schools, nor are they segregationists. The ones I am familiar with (and I am an active volunteer helping with strategic direction of one) take in students purely by lottery. If it looks segregationist, it is because the under-served population tends to be non-white, non-English speaking, so you have that part backwards. These schools also have to provide their own school facility via generous donors, and they run an extended hours curriculum also via generous donations. The reason these charter schools are successful definitely includes more parental involvement, and yet it is the passionate teachers, generous donors and committed kids that also make the difference.
Magpie
May 16, 2010 10:04 PM
Saw the trailer today. As an educator (sigh), I can't even get started on what's wrong with public education today. I started teaching in Michigan and moved to NC for more career opportunities. I taught in a poor town in Michigan and now an affluent city in NC. There is ONE key difference I've seen between the affluent and the poor schools and that's the parents. They value education more in affluent areas, have the time to be involved actively in their child's education, etc and yes - because they have more money, they can help their children more, afford the resources to aid in education. If you add up all the hours I spend with my high school students in a year, it's 1 week. 1 week of 24-hour education. That's it. But we're expected to have the most influence on these kids. In a day, if time is split equally, they get about 2 minutes a day with me. PARENTS are the key to success. PARENTS need to be more empowered to guide their kid's education, and PARENTS need to promote and instill educational values at home. It's the key reason why we are falling behind. The kids at the affluent school have a quest for knowledge that's instilled by parents. At the poor schools many kids looked at school as a social setting. I can try and try to motivate until I'm blue in the face, but I only get a few every year, and meanwhile, the large # slips thru the cracks... it's sad.
KF
June 13, 2010 12:24 AM
Thank you for your reply! I too teach and I teach in a inner city school and I have also taught in a affluent school. The main difference is the PARENTS! In the affluent school I had parents who came every day to see what they could do to help their children succeed while at my current school I either cannot get a hold of my parents or when I do get into contact they give me all kinds of excuses as to why they cannot help me! I even had one parent tell me, "You deal with my son, that is why I send him to you, so I can get a break from him"! I am tired of being blamed for everything that is wrong with the educational system. Everyone is a part of the problem but I think that it is easier to just blame the teacher.
ATTS
May 14, 2010 4:42 PM
I'd suggest an FAQ page or edit the BUY MOVIE NOW button to include SCREENING INFO or BUY / SEE MOVIE NOW which could include screening dates, locations and option to be notified about opportunity to BUY MOVIE NOW
Mr. Foteah
May 2, 2010 12:29 PM
Just watched the trailer and am horrified. Parents have been deluded to believe that charters are preparing their students for better lives, when all they are really doing is preparing them for "high-stakes" tests that, in essence, mean absolutely nothing. As an educator, I believe that teaching to the test will have longterm effects on our children, and therefore our society. We are swimming in very treacherous waters.
