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Category Archives: Articles
Charter Schools: Good or Bad Alternative?
January 28, 2005 – 2:22 am
Numerous studies have tried to assess the charter school movement. This is like trying to say public schools in general are successful or are unsuccessful. Charter schools vary enormously from highly experimental to ultra traditional, from serving affluent suburban students to rescuing high-need students, and from tiny to huge. Judgments about charter schools usually focus [...]
EDUCATION REFORM IS BIGGEST URBAN LEGEND
January 16, 2005 – 9:57 pm
According to an interesting web site, education reform in the United States is a myth. Reform implies that something is being made better, and that clearly is not the case when it comes to education, writes one unhappy blogger. The fun goes on and on, day after day while our children continue to get sub-par [...]
Can competition really improve schools?
October 10, 2004 – 1:03 am
An article in the Christian Science Monitor, “Can competition really improve schools” reviews the concept of choice of schools ranging from open enrollment to vouchers. It points out that people of means have always had a choice of schools by where they choose t0 live or the ability to purchase a private school education. There’s [...]
Schools of the Future
August 2, 2004 – 10:24 am
Ian Jukes and Ted McCain describe their vision of tomorrow’s schools in an article “New Schools for a New Age.” They write of the speed of change impacting the world and that will hit education where we least expect it. They describe the difference in expectations of workers and citizens in the future world of [...]
Virtual Schools, More Choices
May 4, 2004 – 12:18 pm
The US Department of Education estimates that 50,000 students from 37 states attend virtual schools either full or part-time, a very rapidly expanding sector of school choice. Though critics worry about the lack of social contact and lack of regulation, parents are making the selection just as they do in the realm of homeschooling. The [...]
Thoughtful Essay on Choices
April 15, 2004 – 10:29 am
David Kirkpatrick has written often on providing parents with the ultimate choice of where and how to education their children. He comments that the present system essentially does that for middle and upper income families but not for low income families. His periodic column provides thoughtful commentary on contemporary education. He brings a long history [...]
Japan Interest in Alternative Schools
April 14, 2004 – 11:32 pm
Over the past 8-10 years, several people have commented on the numbers of Japanese educators and others visiting alternative schools and charter schools in the U.S. The reason given for this interest is that increasing numbers of Japanese are unhappy with the rigidity and structure of the present federal system of education. They state that [...]
Another Alternative: Career Academies
March 17, 2004 – 12:36 pm
From an article: Established more than 30 years ago, Career Academies have become a widely used high school reform initiative that aims to keep students engaged in school and prepare them for successful transitions to post-secondary education and employment. Typically serving between 150 and 200 high school students from grade 9 or 10 through grade [...]
Future Schools
September 30, 2003 – 11:10 am
A brief illustrated thought-stimulating article, Flexible School Facilities, stretches one’s conceptss about the schools of tomorrow. It shows a progression from conventional schools to a profusion of program choices.
High Stakes Testing and Adequate Yearly Progress
August 26, 2003 – 10:35 am
The Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs has issued two position papers on high stakes testing and adequate yearly progress in response to requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind law. The board of directors voted unanimously for these critical positions after considerable thought about the negative effects of testing and labeling of schools as [...]
Great Links to Alternative Education
August 25, 2003 – 2:45 pm
The Iowa Association of Alternative Education has a fine web site and loads of links to other sources of info on alternatives, articles, and books.
Statement of Purpose
August 15, 2003 – 2:34 pm
This is from the California Charter Schools Association and affirms the concept of choice and alternatives that is the focus of IALA: “We have tremendous optimism as we embark on the next decade of the charter school movement here in California…. As we launch our new, strengthened statewide association, we believe that we have a [...]