I am not those other aliases.Most of your criticism is of the Beavis and Butt-Head "I hate stuff that sucks" element. Especially your personal attacks on me and my children.I can guarantee you that no law or test or measuring device can calculate what it means to care about the children in my charge, to study and to work ceaselessly to provide for their welfare. This is the dedication I was raised with, and which I strive to demonstrate now.I suppose I could leave and go run a company somewhere. I have the aptitude and the experience to do it. But I do believe, to paraphrase Mohandas Gandhi, that becoming weathy means you have to overcharge and rip people off on some level. There are those of us who actually try to live by spiritual values, to contribute to the good of our country, and to help the least among us.We may be the wealthiest country in the world, but that wealth does not "trickle down" to the poor. Like the Colorado River, which used to make it all the way to the Ocean but now runs dry somewhere between the California-Arizona border because people siphon from it at every turn.For the most part, our schools aren't "failing." Perhaps it is our society which is failing. Schools can only educate the children sent to them. For the most part, schools follow the laws and do the best that can be done under these circumstances.Inner-city schools have many problems, but so do inner cities.50% of the students in most schools I've visited and all of the ones I've worked at do not do their homework consistently. 50% of the kids are missing 7, 8, or 9 assignments every marking period. Part of this must be put on the parents. Teachers cannot follow every kid home and demand they put in their time. And kids need to do some work at home. Having no homework is not a good solution either.And teachers to not get "black listed" for not joining unions. Many districts do not have unionized teachers (most of the southern US states do not--hence their lower paid teachers). Teachers in unionized states or districts must join the union when they are hired or have their dues deducted and given back to the state. There was a court case on this, I think in Michigan, about 10 years ago when a teacher sued to not join a union. The teacher won. Unions are not perfect, and in a lot of cases I hate unions, but they are also no match for Big Business and the money corporations can generate for their agendas. Look what happened in Wisconsin a couple weeks back.By my experience, I believe that teachers, as a whole, are about 40% Republican and 60% Democrat. It does not seem like it should be, but I know an awful lot of teachers who only vote Republican.
Sagarin wrote:
"HIGH-PERFORMING CHARTER SCHOOLS HAVE SHOWN DRAMATIC STUDENT ACADEMIC GROWTH, GRADUATION RATES AND COLLEGE MATRICULATION, PARTICULARLY FOR LOW-INCOME AND MINORITY STUDENTS.
According to a review of the highest quality charter school studies, these schools produce positive effects in elementary and middle schools that far outpace other interventions such as class-size reduction. The RAND Corporation finds that . . . "
And High performing public schools are better than most charter schools. It is easy when you cherry pick your information.
Corporations find all kinds of interesting information in the studies they do.
It's an apples to oranges comparison. When our politicians cause the collapse of our public school system (look to Wisconsin and Michigan, for example) and all there are are charter schools, wait until you see the storm of criticism the charters will get then.
I personally would prefer a tracking system like they have in Germany. But right now that is out of favor in educational circles. China may turn out more engineers than us, but they only educate their best and brightest.
A very strong case could be made that education is better in the U.S. than it has ever been, both for charters and public schools. We have so much more research about what good education is and how to deliver it than ever before. But charters are not a panacea.
At any rate, you cannot just proclaim that everyone in a school reads "at least one grade level above" unless you kick out or never accept the average students. Reading at grade level is where most kids are. That's how statistics and averages work. Grade level expectations and standards were established so that the average kid could reach it.
When the charter schools begin accepting everyone, and when Eton and Exeter begin accepting poor blacks and Mexicans who cannot pay their bills, then I'll become a Republican.