I agree with trusting teachers & librarians, however they are not the ones calling the shots in an educational system. In some educational systems they are not even able to influence the bureaucratic institution above them. That is the point at which teachers, librarians, and parents leave the public school system in search of a new place for students to learn and grow. There are several examples of this occurring right here in our county:
1. A group of parents were interested in having a Montessori option in the local public school system -- like Durham, Greensboro, and Charlotte, all of which have such public Montessori programs offered at 2 to 6 schools within their districts. When the local school district did not allow for 1 Montessori elementary program strand, the parents & teachers created a public charter school to realize their goal for a public Montessori option. While it could have been better to be housed within the school district (for all the reasons you cited regarding bussing/lunch program, diversity, etc.), if the school district won't collaborate to expand educational offerings, there is not another viable option than the resulting parallel schools, whether they be public charters or private.
2. Another example of this pathway is the local SABA Academy started by a local public school Principal and the county school system's retired superintendent. When *even leadership* from the local public schools see that the district is not providing a type of educational opportunity that is needed within the institution -- and apply for a public charter in order to provide it -- that is profound.
3. This third example is regarding an educational opportunity that succeeded in becoming a part of the local public schools, but it grew from within the community of teachers & a principal at one elementary school, and by the time the district realized it, the Dual Language educational offering was too large and popular a program to squelch. Parents on the other side of the county then clamored for a similar Dual Language program at a public school near them, and they succeeded.
All three of these cases occurred because educators and/or parents were working to make their public schools better (exactly what you are encouraging in this blog post!), but were rebuffed by the institution. (Or, in the third example, quietly did it, as it was the right thing to do, and the district got drug into accepting it because it was so popular/successful.) So, I just wanted to point out that school choice can come from the exact same source of action you are recommending: parents & educators investing in their public schools.
Like Julie says in her comment, "It's tricky on so many levels."
It is so tricky! My little one goes to a preschool within a Montessori and she is having a great experience.
I think Margaret Renkl makes the point that I was trying to make really well in the NYT today: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/opinion/culture/maus-tennessee-book-bans.html She argues that the end goal, for states pushing charters (though not the individual charters themselves) is dismantling public education. That's what I fear, even as I see that charters can be individually great schools, helping many kids--they are part of a system that will eventually let us down.
It’s tricky on so many levels. Thank you for standing with teachers and librarians. It’s not their job to police the content but to teach and provide a wide range of information for debate, discussion and learning. This area provides a lot of choice for parents. That’s good and bad. I agree that giving back to public instruction on any level is a great idea. Diversity matters and I’ve learned that charter schools aren’t always diverse. I don’t think that was ever the plan but the obstacles of buses and having a cafeteria are huge. Thanks for letting people know about the disparities and giving people a greater understanding to make their choice. It’s tough. Chatham has good schools all around. We’re lucky. I love Bea’s contribution too ❤️
I love this post for so many reasons. I am going to not put them all here but thank you for this post.
Thank you, Joy! I posted it below but really liked this piece by Margaret Renkl today: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/opinion/culture/maus-tennessee-book-bans.html
I agree with trusting teachers & librarians, however they are not the ones calling the shots in an educational system. In some educational systems they are not even able to influence the bureaucratic institution above them. That is the point at which teachers, librarians, and parents leave the public school system in search of a new place for students to learn and grow. There are several examples of this occurring right here in our county:
1. A group of parents were interested in having a Montessori option in the local public school system -- like Durham, Greensboro, and Charlotte, all of which have such public Montessori programs offered at 2 to 6 schools within their districts. When the local school district did not allow for 1 Montessori elementary program strand, the parents & teachers created a public charter school to realize their goal for a public Montessori option. While it could have been better to be housed within the school district (for all the reasons you cited regarding bussing/lunch program, diversity, etc.), if the school district won't collaborate to expand educational offerings, there is not another viable option than the resulting parallel schools, whether they be public charters or private.
2. Another example of this pathway is the local SABA Academy started by a local public school Principal and the county school system's retired superintendent. When *even leadership* from the local public schools see that the district is not providing a type of educational opportunity that is needed within the institution -- and apply for a public charter in order to provide it -- that is profound.
3. This third example is regarding an educational opportunity that succeeded in becoming a part of the local public schools, but it grew from within the community of teachers & a principal at one elementary school, and by the time the district realized it, the Dual Language educational offering was too large and popular a program to squelch. Parents on the other side of the county then clamored for a similar Dual Language program at a public school near them, and they succeeded.
All three of these cases occurred because educators and/or parents were working to make their public schools better (exactly what you are encouraging in this blog post!), but were rebuffed by the institution. (Or, in the third example, quietly did it, as it was the right thing to do, and the district got drug into accepting it because it was so popular/successful.) So, I just wanted to point out that school choice can come from the exact same source of action you are recommending: parents & educators investing in their public schools.
Like Julie says in her comment, "It's tricky on so many levels."
It is so tricky! My little one goes to a preschool within a Montessori and she is having a great experience.
I think Margaret Renkl makes the point that I was trying to make really well in the NYT today: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/opinion/culture/maus-tennessee-book-bans.html She argues that the end goal, for states pushing charters (though not the individual charters themselves) is dismantling public education. That's what I fear, even as I see that charters can be individually great schools, helping many kids--they are part of a system that will eventually let us down.
It’s tricky on so many levels. Thank you for standing with teachers and librarians. It’s not their job to police the content but to teach and provide a wide range of information for debate, discussion and learning. This area provides a lot of choice for parents. That’s good and bad. I agree that giving back to public instruction on any level is a great idea. Diversity matters and I’ve learned that charter schools aren’t always diverse. I don’t think that was ever the plan but the obstacles of buses and having a cafeteria are huge. Thanks for letting people know about the disparities and giving people a greater understanding to make their choice. It’s tough. Chatham has good schools all around. We’re lucky. I love Bea’s contribution too ❤️