Charter Schools
Finally- an article that doesn’t sugar coat charter schools! I don’t think it’s fair to compare public schools to charter schools because we don’t have the same resources. All too often public school teachers are expected to perform miracles with children and then we’re basically drug through the mud when we don’t succeed. However the reality is (as pointed out in this article) that teachers actually have a very small amount of influence on their students and that non-school factors have more influence on student achievement. It seems to me that this movie really demeans public education while pumping up charter schools, and that really saddens me. Maybe there are some good charter schools out there, but there are also good public schools too, and I’m sick and tired of all the public school bashing.
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteIt is distressing to see how the facts have been skewed to put charter schools in such a favorable light. I was shocked to read that only one in five charter schools has results. The push for school vouchers and more charter schools is another kick in the teeth to public schools. The cost of educating a student in a charter school is three times as much that of a public school. Are charter schools really getting results? I don't think so. The public is being led to believe that public schools are failing their children. What's even worse is the money vouchers given to students to attend a charter school are taken from the public schools. Charter schools will become the schools for the elite. Where is the equity in that?
I agree. Charter schools are not proving to be the answer they are supposed to be. The misrepresentation of the facts by some media sources does place an unfavorable light on public schools when they are compared to charter schools. However, as Michelle and Janice have pointed out, the resources available to each are not they same, nor are the rules. Public schools cannot/do not "council out" underperforming students before standardized tests are taken. It is truly unfair to compare the two and especially unfair, even unethical the way the facts are skewed to paint a more positive picture of charter schools.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it is nice that there was an honest article especially about a movie which skews the facts! I was disappointed that a movie which was viewed by a wide audience portrayed public schools in such a negative light.
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