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Category Archives: Charter schools
Charter Schools in England
May 1, 2005 – 12:31 pm
England is establishing “academies” to replace failing secondary schools. Academies are the equivalent of charter schools in the U.S. because they are publically funded but operate autonomously with little federal or local regulation. About 17 have been established with the backing of Tony Blair’s blessing with a goal of 200 by the end of the [...]
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 [...]
Choices Expanding with Charter Schools
December 11, 2004 – 2:57 pm
Two examples of the rapidly changing rules around charter schools illustrate an “institutional bypass” of the present system. In New York City, with 25 charter schools, the sytem plans to create 50 more chartered schools as “seeds of change” for the remainder of the district. The only mayor in the U.S. with the authority to [...]
Changing High School
December 11, 2004 – 2:29 pm
Because high schools have been so resistant to change, educational choices have expanded enormously. Why can’t high schools change? A provocative essay, “The Blind Men and the High School” descibes six strategies to change school. Each states a strategy, problem definition and theory of action. Here is one of the stategies as an example: Strategy: [...]
District Choices
December 11, 2004 – 1:31 pm
More often these days, school districts offer a variety of choices. This might be to meet the growing competition for students from charter schools, nonpublic schools and homeschooling, all of which have eaten into district enrollments. Other reasons for offering choices include catering to student interests or ways of learning and to provide for a [...]
Resources for Charter Schools
September 12, 2004 – 9:07 am
One-way to accomplish new learning alternatives is to create charter schools, now available in various degrees of autonomy in 41 states. There are numerous resource manuals with much technical assistance available. Here are a few web sites where you can read or download guides, which are detailed and helpful: Official U.S. Charter Schools website Center [...]
Enemies Sharpen Resistance to Charter Schools
July 11, 2004 – 2:27 pm
During 2003-04, 3,000 charter schools (independent public schools) served 700,000 students in the U.S. The movement started in 1991 with the first charter statute in Minnesota. Enrollment increased 40% between 1999 and 2003. Now 41 states and DC have charter laws. Clearly, this threatens the established system and it’s fighting back. For example, the Massachusetts [...]
Private Companies Providing Alternatives
June 16, 2004 – 4:25 pm
The story, “Multimillionaire Buys Major Charter School Manager” tells how a wealthy couple created a new company, Imagine Schools, Inc. and purchased a chain of existing charter schools to become the second largest for-profit manager of schools involving more than 70 schools and 20,000 students. Their principles mention that schools should be places of integrity, [...]
Create New Schools
May 10, 2004 – 12:07 pm
Community Based Organizations (CBOs)have entered the education scene by sponsoring new charter schools. The YMCA of America, YouthBuild and the National Council of LaRaza are examples. YouthBuild received a $5.4 million Gates Foundation grant to establish 10 new schools to add to the network of 23 Youthbuild schools. How National Organizations and Their Affiliates Can [...]
Increasing Public School Choices
May 4, 2004 – 10:35 am
Increasing the Supply of Public Schools provides a thoughtful discussion of how charter schools can fill a niche of parental desire for choices and deal with low performing schools identified through No Child Left Behind. The article is by the Public Policy Institute a good site for contemporary issues.
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 [...]
Charter School Conferences and Information
March 8, 2004 – 12:05 pm
Charter schools represent one of the fastest-growing alternatives in education. Numerous conferences are being held. For example, Wisconsin: March 28 – 30 (Sunday afternoon thru Tuesday) Milwaukee and the 5th national conference in Miami, June 16-18. The best source of information is supported by the US Department of Education sponsored web site where you can [...]
Valuable Database of State Alternatives
March 3, 2004 – 11:03 am
The Education Commission of the States has compiled a very useful database of all 50 states and the islands showing policies and statutes for educational choices including open enrollment, charter schools, vouchers, tax credits and tax deductions and dual/concurrent enrollment.