LWVeducation
A Leaguer knows that consistently sharing information has an impact. Nevertheless, it is reassuring to find evidence that people are listening, reading, and thinking about issues we believe are important. Today the Editor of the Gainesville Sun described his Education on School Reforms. He cites his sources and includes our work. See how he puts together the issues.
The New Year is approaching. Make a resolution to regularly get the message out. Some one will be listening who can help.
The blog is one month old. We can celebrate a little. Thus far we have had 4500 hits on our site, and our subscriber list is growing. Let people know.
It is also a good time to take a minute and think. Are we contributing useful information on school reform issues? What is helpful? What is missing? Reflect on the following list and make suggestions. I will summarize your suggestions and respond.Continue reading
Miami-Dade did a series of presentations on Florida’s school choice study. Their approach was to consider the unmet needs of children from low income areas. The ability of charter and private, mostly religious schools to meet those needs are considered.
They discussed problems with the conflicting priorities for-profit charter management companies must face when serving ‘low-cost’ children rather than children whose needs are expensive to meet: e.g. ESE, ELL and students who struggle academically. The accountability system rewards schools whose students score well on state assessment tests. This makes charter admissions and dismissal policies subject to scrutiny.
The interrelationship between political and financial support has made conflict of interest concerns a public issue. The need to justify the inability of the private sector to overcome the achievement gap between students from low-income and higher income families has made the public more aware of the need for more efficient and equitable use of tax payer money.
This league’s approach to a discussion of school choice issues may be helpful for others who are planning similar presentations.
Yesterday’s Sun-Sentinel editorial reviewed the history of the Florida voucher program and identified wealthy backers who contributed one-half million dollars to political campaigns supporting school choice. The article cites legal arguments against vouchers: public dollars contributed indirectly to religious schools and the constitutional requirement that the State have a uniform system of public education.Continue reading
by Terry Gillam
This report is a summary of private school choice program regulations by state. The data were drawn from the U.S. Department of Education State Regulation of Private Schools report. There is also an interactive map on the DOE site. The checklist of descriptors range from how schools are licensed, funded, and managed to teacher certification and professional development. The checklist was published by the Friedman Foundation, a strong advocate for school choice. It is a comprehensive source for data needed to analyze private school voucher program characteristics.
These FSBA legislative priorities for 2015 reflect many of the League’s positions to support public schools. They address accountability and testing, facilities, funding, school choice options, and local control. An overview of the positions includes:Continue reading
How Ohio’s Voucher Program Works. State Impact. Site has many related links.