Category Archives: Charter Schools

Congress to Vote on H.R. 5 NEXT FRIDAY: Send your opinion

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US House SealAn important vote on H.R. 5 is scheduled Friday.  While the League of Women Voters supports national curriculum guidelines and assessment of skills that compares the student achievement across similar districts, it also supports local implementation of the curricula and skills.   The operative definition of the League’s position is that all children should have access to an equitable, quality education.  To what extent does this bill have the desired result?

The bill severely cuts the role of the U.S. Department of Education.  It also freezes funding until 2021.  Finally, it increases support for charter schools and allows Title I funding for low income schools to be moved to other schools.  The bill has generated controversy.  Specific requirements follow.

If you wish to contact your legislators, a contact list is below.

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The Horns of a Dilemma?

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bull-155411_640Over and over we hear that testing narrows the curriculum, provokes anxiety rather than enthusiasm for learning, drives teachers out of the classroom, all in the name of improving student achievement.

Why do so many educators and politicians persist in an approach whose effectiveness is yet to be validated?  A clearly articulated rationale for annual testing is needed.  One appeared in the New York Times written by a former advisor to the U.S. Department of Education.  It lays out the administration’s rationale.

 

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Difference Between U. S. House and Senate Education Bills

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congress-74032_1280The Senate version of the education bill (See: US Senator Lamar Alexandar Bill ) and the House version differ mostly on the requirements for achievement testing.

The House version is a reintroduction of last year’s Student Success Act.  Both version emphasize returning control to the states.

A summary of the House version follows.  We will track the bills.  Check Legislative Updates on the rotating banner for the blog.  It is the photo of the green chalkboard.

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Florida’s Fat Cats?

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yachtThe current New Yorker has a long article on Jeb Bush’s role in the development of school choice.  The outline of the story is nothing new.  Jeb Bush launched charter schools and vouchers for private schools in Florida.  He based charter school grades on individual student’s achievement gains rather than school level improvement.  This offered a way to pressure teachers, because achievement would be measured at the classroom level.

According to the New Yorker article, a Bush appointee stated that Bush saw an opportunity to break the teacher’s union because it was viewed as a stalwart of the Democratic Party.

Perhaps even Jeb Bush is surprised at the growth of the choice movement.  The real story, however, is behind the scenes.

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Charter Pilot School Districts?

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board-106588_1280Some ideas never really go away.  Here is one.  Representative Manny Diaz (R) Hialeah, has filed a bill to create charter school districts.  This idea surfaced at the beginning of the charter movement in Florida, but it died of inaction.  Here it comes again.  See the details…

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Taking Over Public Schools in Tennessee: The Jury is Still Out

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juryYou saw the post on East Nashville in Turmoil.  There is more to this story.  Parents at Inglewood fended off the takeover of their school.  The Achievement School District selected Neely’s Bend Middle School instead.  It’s children are primarily Latino. Other schools are mostly African American.  The head of ASD announced plans to take over more Nashville schools.

What is this force taking over schools?  Is it making a difference?  How would you vote?Continue reading→

Pure Serendipity: Thinking Outside the Box

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outside the boxReading Freakonomics (by Steven Leavitt and Stephen Dubner) was supposed to be a lark for me.  You know, perusing fun ideas. There are certainly some of those.  Who would believe, however, that the book was full of information about educational reform!  Now the title of the book really makes me smile.

Some interesting data about Chicago schools may explain U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s thinking.  For some students, there really is a problem that no one can solve alone, and it is the culture of some schools that inhibits learning.  Is it better to help a few to leave a bad situation than to do nothing?  Or, do you take on the whole problem knowing you do not have the resources and capability to solve it?  People will be hurt; children will be lost either way.  What would you do?  Leavitt’s data makes you think out of the box.

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