The Case Against School Choice
On the surface, school choice programs make a whole lot of sense for education reformers. John McCain even endorsed "school choice for all who want it" in an op-ed piece. But as John Adams said, "Facts are stubborn things." The truth is that no matter how you look at the issue the facts do not support the arguments for instituting school choice programs as a means of education reform. Read more at: http://teachthemoment.blogspot.com/2008/08/case-against-school-choice.html
Texas Charter Schools Association (TCSA) holds its first board meeting
Kathleen_Reynolds | | 
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The Next Step takes a Giant Leap: new association board of directors hold first meeting!
Charter leaders took a major step towards building a robust statewide association when the Texas Charter Schools Association (TCSA) held its first board meeting last week. The association board named its officers and took action on a number of organizing fronts. The chair of the board is Charles Miller, a Houston investor and founding board member of the Charter School Resource Center and the Charter School Policy Institute. Lori Fey, of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation in Austin, will serve as secretary, and Chuck Cook, CEO of Responsive Education Solutions in Dallas is the treasurer. Chris Barbic of YES Academy in Houston and Arturo Suarez of Positive Solutions Charter School in San Antonio were elected as directors.
McCain speaks to National Urban League on education
Jacques_Arsenault | | 0
John McCain spoke to the National Urban League, focusing heavily on his plans for education, with school choice/vouchers, alternative certification (including a shout-out to Teach For America), and merit pay as his pillars. He also namechecks Bloomberg and Klein in NYC, Cory Booker in Newark, and Michelle Rhee (Baltimore '92) in his remarks.
One provocative idea--though I'm entirely unclear on how McCain proposes to enact it, is in providing (federal?) funds directly to all public school principals, in order to give them some measure of the administrative freedom that he sees as the key to the success of charters.
While it's an interesting idea, I'm not sure if the idea is to divert an existing funding stream, or if he is suggesting creating a new source of funding that would somehow pass through the state and district levels to become discretionary funding for principals. To me, the logistics and funding formulas that would be necessary to institute a program like this (as well as potential Constitutional hurdles) seem insurmountable, but I'd love to hear from anyone who is aware of details that make this more than a gimmick.
McCain's full remarks at National Urban League
McCain's education-specific remarks follow in full below:
McCain, 2008, election, vouchers, merit pay, charter schools (all tags)
Did the MA Readiness Project Miss the Mark?
Amanda_Hillman | | 0
Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick unrolled his new proposal for comprehensive improvement of education over the next ten years. While it includes some bold new ideas, many are disappointed at what was most noticeably absent - an intention to lift the cap on charter schools. In trying new approaches, is the governor overlooking some tested-and-true solutions in Charter Schools?
Many Boston TFA alumni teach and/or lead in local charter schools. What do you think?
Read on for links to news coverage on the debate, and for a link to the famed Readiness Report itself.
Massachusetts, Readiness Project, charter schools, charter (all tags)
Expanding Charter Schools in Rhode Island - rally tomorrow
Hi all,
For all those out there from Little Rhody, you may be aware that there is a growing movement to lift the cap on charter schools in Rhode Island - which has culminated in legislation that is currently being debated in the Capitol.
I also know that many of the champions of this reform are also supporters of expanding other initiatives to combat educational inequity, including bringing Teach For America to Providence.
For all of those interested, there is a rally tomorrow at the State House, and you can learn more at the following website: http://www.mayoralacademies.org/
Here is an excerpt from their site:
