Charter Schools and choice

As a charter school teacher and parent, I am aware of my bias.  But, I have worked in the traditional public schools so I have a good reference point.  As I read some of the comments on this article, I have to remind myself that there were people opposed to women voting, civil rights, and other injustices throughout history.

Matheson: Charter schools, through the prism of economics

• By Chris Matheson

  Charter schools, like Covenant House Academy Central in Detroit, can reach students who had trouble in traditional classrooms. (David Guralnick / The Detroit News)

How long would an organization stay in business if it continually produced a product that failed to meet standards of quality? For too long has our nation's educational system been insulated from competition and has stagnated, failing our most marginalized children.
Fortunately, in recent years the public school monopoly has been increasingly challenged by competition from charter schools, which offer some hope for millions of children whose local public schools have failed to deliver quality education.
The Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University recently found that charter school students in Michigan are outperforming public school peers in their home districts. The CREDO report found that charter school students gain an additional two months learning on average in math and reading, and the results are even greater for students in Detroit, where students demonstrate an extra three months growth in these subject areas.
Charter schools are social entrepreneurial ventures. The entrepreneurs behind charter schools attempt to create value by serving segments of the marketplace largely ignored by current participants. America's inner-city children are offered an education from the public school monopoly, but what type of education is being offered?
Even the most die-hard supporter of traditional public schools would agree that the quality of education offered in America's cities is far inferior to the education offered to predominantly white students in the suburbs. Charter schools attempt to level the playing field by opening schools in the very communities that have historically been the most underserved by traditional public schools.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130222/OPINION01/302220330#ixzz2MD7htJIq

Teachers' satisfaction goes down as cuts increase

As resources gets scarce, so do joys.  My parents were right when they said money can't buy happiness, but  it does buy groceries.

Teacher Survey Shows Record Low Job Satisfaction In 2012

Posted: 02/21/2013 12:00 am EST  |  Updated: 02/21/2013 8:35 am ESTCommon Core State Standards Initiative,Standardized Tests, Education Budget Cuts, Education News, Stressed Teachers, Teacher Job Satisfaction, Teacher Job Satisfaction Plummets, Teacher Policies, Teacher Survey, Tennessee Teachers, Politics News

As school districts continued to cut budgets, increase class sizes, and implement teacher performance evaluations, teachers' job satisfaction plummeted in 2012, reaching an all-time low, according to a survey released Thursday.

"We've seen a continuous decline in teacher satisfaction," said Dana Markow, vice president of youth and education research for pollster Harris Interactive, which conducted the poll for the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher.

Teachers' job satisfaction has declined 23 percentage points in the five years since 2008, according to the long-running survey of educators and principals. Only 39 percent of teachers reported they were very satisfied, the least since 1987, the survey showed. The percentage of teachers who said they were very satisfied dropped five percentage points in 2012.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/teacher-survey-job-satisfaction-2012_n_2729062.html

More about President Obama's State of the Union

STATE OF THE UNION 

In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama outlined a series of proposals to increase access to a high-quality education.  Among them were initiatives to make quality early education accessible to every child, to redesign the country’s high schools to meet the needs of the real world, and to tackle the spiraling cost of college.  The proposals complemented other efforts to strengthen the middle class, including calls to raise the minimum age and reform immigration.  FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2013. 

Among the education excerpts from the speech:

·         Expanding Early Learning.  “Study after study shows that the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road.  But, today, fewer than 3 in 10 four-year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program.  Most middle class parents can’t afford a few hundred bucks a week for private preschool, and, for poor kids who need help the most, this lack of access to preschool education can shadow them for the rest of their lives.  Tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America….  Every dollar we invest in high-quality early education can save more than seven dollars later on -- by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime.  In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children -- like Georgia or Oklahoma -- studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, and form more stable families of their own.  So, let’s do what works, and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind.”

·         Redesigning High Schools.  “Let’s also make sure that a high school diploma puts our kids on a path to a good job.  Right now, countries like Germany focus on graduating their students with the equivalent of a technical degree from one of our community colleges, so that they’re ready for a job.  At schools like P-Tech in Brooklyn -- a collaboration between New York City Public Schools, the City University of New York, and IBM -- students will graduate with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree in computers or engineering….  Four years ago, we started Race to the Top -- a competition that convinced almost every state to develop smarter curricula and higher standards, all for about 1% of what we spend on education each year.  Tonight, I’m announcing a new challenge to redesign America’s high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy.  And, we’ll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers and create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) -- the skills today’s employers are looking for to fill the jobs that are there now and will be there in the future.”

·         Holding Colleges Accountable.  “Now, even with better high schools, most young people will need some higher education.  It’s a simple fact that the more education you have, the more likely you are to have a job and work your way into the middle class.  But, today, skyrocketing costs price too many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.  Through tax credits, grants, and better loans, we’ve made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years, but taxpayers can’t keep on subsidizing higher and higher costs for higher education.  Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it’s our job to make sure that they do.  So, tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act so affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid.  And, tomorrow, my Administration will release a new College Scorecard (see below) that students and parents can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria: where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.” 

Also:

·         Students, teachers, and innovators were guests of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden during the address.  FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/02/12/first-ladys-box-2013-state-union.

·         The White House released “The President’s Plan for a Strong Middle Class and a Strong America,” which, in addition to the proposals cited above, calls for a STEM Master Teacher Corps.  FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TOhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/sotu_2013_blueprint.pdf.

Homeschool truancy

A lot of people including myself are wondering the motives behind this law.  As a teacher, I understand the need to be present to receive an education. This may be in response to the State law requiring attendance in school to receive State aid.  What do you think?

 

House Rep Wants To Force Homeschool
Parents to Report Attendance to The State

With no evidence of a problem, Rep. Woodrow Stanley,
D-Flint, wants to track homeschooled students for truancy

By TOM GANTERT | Feb. 19, 2013 |  Follow Tom Gantert on Twitter

Rep. Stanley

A Flint State Representative whose district has conventional public schools that have among the highest absentee rates in the state has introduced legislation that would mandate parents who homeschool their children be required to report attendance to the state.

Rep. Woodrow Stanley, D-Flint, said in a press release that “there are a growing number of kids becoming truant” in homeschools. 

“Kids must be in school in order to learn,” Rep. Stanley said in a press release. “This bill requires parents to report their child’s attendance records, giving homeschools the same standards as public schools. Passing this bill is a no-brainer, it’s necessary for Michigan students.”

Continued at http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/18297