Sunday, July 10, 2011
Charter School Conversion
Last week I read an article on http://www.cleveland.com/ about Mayor Jackson and his support of the conversion of some Cleveland public schools to charter schools. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/07/post_485.html I have been thinking about this all weekend and I think I really like this idea. After I first read the article I wasn't so sure about the idea but after thinking all weekend about it the idea has grown on me. Although it may seem drastic, the situation is Cleveland public schools is absolutley horrible. Why not try something drastic? Why not try something new because the old way of doing things is not effective. The ulimate goal in my mind is to provide the best education to everyone and if converting public schools into charter schools can accomplish that, then I say do it. Changes would not come until after the upcoming school year, but I am curious to see how this story unfolds.
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I completely agree that adding more charter schools would be a step in the right direction. In time we may discover that it doesn't change much, but at least we're trying something innovative. And, honestly, it probably can't get much worse, so why not try it?
ReplyDeleteProviding as many options as possible is the best way to reach the most students, so I am wholeheartedly in favor of changes like this.
Lizz…I saw that same article. However, I had a different take on the idea. Mayor Jackson is going to use tax dollars for charter schools. Is this constitutional? Is there accountability? Are the teachers certified? What constraints are in place? David Brennan, CEO of White Hat Charter Schools gave sizeable contributions to the Ohio Republican Party. Even though, Jackson is Democrat, is this a payback from the Governor for his donations? What success has White Hat management met with their schools in Akron? Check out this link. http://education.ohio.com/2011/04/akrons-white-hat-gets-poor-grades-for-students/ I think that changes made in our schools should be more purposeful and planned in order to generate successful results.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Mayor Jackson’s proposal to convert some of the public schools in Cleveland into charter school. In my opinion, this is a means to promote competition between public and charter schools. It’s also a means to undermine unions and collective bargaining agreements. In my opinion, we can find better ways to improve education in Cleveland than to create charter schools.
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be a hot button issue! I must say I have to agree with you on the idea of Charter School Conversion being a good idea. I worked in a charter school, and have seen the positive things that are happening in this type of environment. It never fails to surprise me the conflict that this discussion promotes, and the way that people address their ideas with this topic. I strongly believe the phrase, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". But if it is broken, do whatever you can to fix it. The current methods that Cleveland has been using have not worked to this point. They should try something new, but making sure that they do so in a positive and appropriate way.
ReplyDeleteI work in a charter school and I tend to like this idea of conversion. I beleive this can be a good thing for the city of Cleveland!
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