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Post by mollycoddle on Aug 23, 2014 11:49:54 GMT
I don't know if this differs by state, but around here, the Catholic schools are the only real successful charters. Of course they are. They cherrypick kids and reserve the right to rid themselves of any children with behavior challenges. Most of them also do not have much in the way of special ed, either.
It's not a great mystery why they do so well. One school in particular was run by an iron-fisted nun who has recently retired due to age. The school is great! Of COURSE it is. And that is fine for those parents. The problem is that it leaves behind less-invested parents who, unsurprisingly, have children with educational and/or behavior issues.
Just sayin'. It's easy to look good if you screen all of your applicants.
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Post by Kelpea on Aug 23, 2014 11:51:53 GMT
Agreed. There's a local school, five miles from my house, where there are families who are so poor that when we have snow days, their children don't have a meal, or at the very least, a very small one. My gal pal is a liaison for this school and she makes food and delivers it to needy kids during those days. At this moment, she is earnestly asking the local communities to donate school supplies, since the majority of her students will start school with NOTHING.
This is an public school education nightmare, and it needs fixing.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Aug 23, 2014 12:10:46 GMT
What makes a good school good and a bad school bad? Do some states not have set curricula? Do all schools not have the same textbooks or materials i.e. science labs with bunsen burners? Or soccer balls for PE? I don't know what it is like in our lower income schools but the province has provided basically the same materials for all schools. I wasn't impressed with my son's high school but there wasn't anything terrible about it either. I found the teachers I dealt with were there for a paycheque and clocked in and out each week. (They are on strike in the province right now so who knows when that will be settled). I am trying to get a better understanding about education in the US. Schools here vary by school district (LEA) and they can vary greatly from place to place even within the same city/area. Schools generally get some money from the state and some monies generated locally through taxes.(though this can vary by state) Most states have standards that everyone must teach to but how they teach, what text books they use, is up to the school district.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Aug 23, 2014 12:29:02 GMT
What Lucy said in this one sentence sums up how I feel about this issue.
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Post by apeacalledliz on Aug 23, 2014 14:08:30 GMT
Yay! My state passed similar legislation two years ago. A whopping six students statewide used the vouchers because it offset the cost of private school by so little. As a public school teacher, I just don't think robbing Peter to pay Paul solves anything. I know kids everywhere deserve good schools regardless of income, but I don't think pulling funding from schools who are already struggling (which this does because it encourages students to leave, thus costing the public school money) will help. It may not help the overall problem but it helps that one kid. My son attends a charter school and because we have school choice in my town his allotted money follows him. And for us it has been a godsend, our local high school was not cutting it for him, he was failing miserably and in trouble more often than not. We found this school just as it was first opening and got him in for his sophomore year, he is now going into his senior year and will not only graduate he will have one semester of college done as well. Not all kids learn best in the traditional public school model and until we recognize that fact we are going to continue to have failing schools. There is simply no way any one school, regardless of funding, will ever be able to meet the learning needs and styles of all students. Why we continue to insist that one size fits all education is the way to go confounds me. |
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Post by dulcemama on Aug 23, 2014 14:21:51 GMT
I agree with this but don't see any reason that the public schools can't provide different type of environments within their districts. Where I live, there are several charter schools that are a part of the public school system.
Other than that, I'll just say that ITA with Lucy.
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Post by threegirls on Aug 23, 2014 16:32:42 GMT
threegirls, I am truly glad the vouchers are working out for your family. I would probably take advantage of them, too, under the circumstances. But here's the effect on the kids left in the public school: all the kids with involved, caring parents have left the public school to attend smaller private schools, an action made possible by everyone's tax dollars. The only kids left in the public school are the ones whose parents can't be bothered, and the school will now go even further downhill. These kids are the ones who MOST need a quality public education, and they're the ones LEAST getting it. I will always support fixing the public schools over giving the money away to private schools. But the public schools in my district are doing a terrific job at pulling kids with involved, caring parents into magnet schools. The magnet schools take kids on a first-come basis. You have to camp (not stand) in line. One magnet school has a 12-day camp out and another one has a 4-day camp out. If you want your kid in one of these two magnet schools you better be able to take 12 or 4 days off of work and bring your food and camping tents! It's crazy and it's always big news on the local stations when the camp outs begin in the early spring. Another magnet school is an arts/music school. Talent will get you in the door there. I'm just saying that it's not just vouchers that are pulling kids from under performing schools. The public schools do it themselves. Again, I am thankful to have the choice of sending my kids to the school that they attend. I'm glad we didn't have to take the next flight out of the city to the suburbs. I understand that many kids are left behind (between the public school district doing it themselves and vouchers) in poor performing schools. We need to be figuring out ways to help those kids. The newer and under performing school that my kids would have gone to has added a new primary care and dental clinic. It is staffed through the health department and funded through the indigent health care levy (which I voted for by the the way). This is a fabulous addition! But, until the school district can figure out how to improve test scores in every school, I will support the vouchers. |
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Post by tania7424 on Aug 23, 2014 16:57:27 GMT
What makes a good school good and a bad school bad? Do some states not have set curricula? Do all schools not have the same textbooks or materials i.e. science labs with bunsen burners? Or soccer balls for PE? I don't know what it is like in our lower income schools but the province has provided basically the same materials for all schools. I wasn't impressed with my son's high school but there wasn't anything terrible about it either. I found the teachers I dealt with were there for a paycheque and clocked in and out each week. (They are on strike in the province right now so who knows when that will be settled). I am trying to get a better understanding about education in the US. In my experience, it is a lot of different factors. Old neighbourhood, mixed income levels (5 low income housing projects, but lots of new townhouse and condo builds too) it is the worst ranked school in the district. Amazing school community though. The parents truly believe in their school, love it, etc. Great principal, great teachers, but the socio-economic issues are just too much. This neighbourhood, third from the bottom of the rankings, the principal is awful. We met with him once and that was enough to cement our decision to keep paying tuition. And we're in your standard $85K/yr average lower mainland neighbourhood now. BC has their schools structured differently though. Independents (most religious schools) receive 50% funding from the province. They must follow provincial curriculum and legislated hours of instruction to receive funding. Tuition for those range from $3500/yr to around $7500/yr. Truly private schools receive no funding from the province, can set their own hours and curriculum and tuition is $14K/yr and up. The one closest to us is $25K/yr. DS goes to an independent school. |
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