Do charter schools help rural districts with 300 students? Get Schooled:
"If you have time, take a look at this article from Education Week. The article examines how the Obama-Duncan education reforms will impact America’s rural schools and the 13 million students they serve.
A chief concern of rural educators is the administration’s emphasis on creating new charter schools to buoy student achievement. They say that some rural districts can barely fill their existing schools now, never mind afford to open new schools.
As an example, the article states: ”Denise Juneau, Montana’s superintendent of schools, in a July 28 letter to Mr. Duncan, formally objected to the federal department’s use of charter schools as one metric by which states will be judged. She pointed out that only 6 percent of her state’s school districts have student populations greater than 500, while 54 percent have enrollments of fewer than 100. The state doesn’t have charter schools, which are publicly funded but largely autonomous. ‘Montana’s rural context and economic status has made it challenging for many communities and the state to support the public schools we currently have, much less encourage the duplication of infrastructure a charter school would mean in most communities,’ wrote Ms. Juneau in the letter.”
The article also talks about a concern that I have — attracting top-of-the line teachers to rural schools. It’s great to urge the hiring of bright teachers and inspiring principals, but how do you entice them to rural districts?"
"If you have time, take a look at this article from Education Week. The article examines how the Obama-Duncan education reforms will impact America’s rural schools and the 13 million students they serve.
A chief concern of rural educators is the administration’s emphasis on creating new charter schools to buoy student achievement. They say that some rural districts can barely fill their existing schools now, never mind afford to open new schools.
As an example, the article states: ”Denise Juneau, Montana’s superintendent of schools, in a July 28 letter to Mr. Duncan, formally objected to the federal department’s use of charter schools as one metric by which states will be judged. She pointed out that only 6 percent of her state’s school districts have student populations greater than 500, while 54 percent have enrollments of fewer than 100. The state doesn’t have charter schools, which are publicly funded but largely autonomous. ‘Montana’s rural context and economic status has made it challenging for many communities and the state to support the public schools we currently have, much less encourage the duplication of infrastructure a charter school would mean in most communities,’ wrote Ms. Juneau in the letter.”
The article also talks about a concern that I have — attracting top-of-the line teachers to rural schools. It’s great to urge the hiring of bright teachers and inspiring principals, but how do you entice them to rural districts?"
