In light of the planning grant application approval for the proposed Studio School Charter yesterday, I’m curious about how others view public charters and what their roles should be.
Here are some different conceptions that I’ve heard or read (I’m sure there are many more and I’d be glad to hear about those):
- Charters as laboratories for innovations that can be replicated in other district schools.
- Charters as a means of of addressing the needs or desires of self-defined populations.
- Charters as a first step toward replacing the current system with a system of semi-autonomous schools.
Related questions include: How should charters and charter proposals be evaluated?
TJM
This comment is intended as a response to the post “Concern about the quality of 3rd quarter report cards (cont.)” which doesn’t have comments enabled.
I pretty much agree with the sentiments of the letter the parents sent. One nit-picky thing though is that they incorrectly used the phrase “begs the question”.
I support charter schools, but not with knee-jerk support for any idea thrown on the table.
The Studio School relies on a disasterous theory that children create their own meaning by exploring and experimenting with things that interest them. This would theory hold, for example, that an elementary school student will discover the laws of physics with occassional guidance from a teacher. Nevermind that it took humankind tens of centuries to come up with the basics. We’re supposed to believe that an eight year old can do it in nine months. And if a student has no interest in physics, math, or science, so be it. Let the student explore whatever he or she prefers.
This charter school offers no innovation since discovery curricula rule nearly every educational institution in the country.
The school board, as I’ve said before, should write and issue a request for proposals for charter school ideas that support the vision of the district. (Oh, I forgot; the district has no vision of academic excellence.)
Juan Lopez, where are you when we need you? You complained that the school board didn’t control it’s own agenda. You used to complain that the school board only reacted to ideas brought in front of it, usually by its critics you charged. The board needs to hear from you, Juan, because your complaints would be right on target for this unfolding charter school fiasco.