Charter schools must not win out over public institutions
Comment
An open letter to parents of students in New York City:
You may or may not be aware of what has been occurring within our public education system across the nation, particularly here in the city. Public education is under attack by forces that wish to privatize our public schools for profit. The cap for charter schools has now been lifted with the number of charters likely to double soon.
City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, along with some major foundations and Wall Street hedge fund managers, are lined up to “reform” public education. They want to see the teachers unions broken, senior teachers removed and teacher’s jobs as temporary ones. These forces are spending a lot of money to buy support from politicians to publicly support charter school expansion.
They also control the media, which has launched an all-out attack on educators in order to turn public opinion against them. On any given day you can read anti-teacher or pro-charter articles in any of the major papers.
Making it all happen is a network of reformers dedicated to overhauling public education in the United States. They are working in key positions in school districts and charter school networks, legislating in state capitals, staffing city halls and statehouses with reform-minded mayors and governors, writing papers for policy groups and dispensing grants from billion-dollar philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates.
Gates; U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, founder of Teach for America, a recruiter of business people and college graduates who sign contracts to teach for two years in inner-city schools; Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp; and Klein could be considered the patron saints of the network.
The original premise of charter schools was to help children who need extra assistance. What has happened under the leadership of Klein is that charters are now competing with public schools. Charters cherry-pick their students, thereby ensuring their success. Charters are given more resources than local public schools. Local public schools are becoming overwhelmed with more overcrowding, higher numbers of poor-performing students and educators, parents and students whose concerns continue to be ignored.
Charters should be allowed to co-exist with public schools, but not to the detriment of public schools. Charters should exist in their own
You may or may not be aware of what has been occurring within our public education system across the nation, particularly here in the city. Public education is under attack by forces that wish to privatize our public schools for profit. The cap for charter schools has now been lifted with the number of charters likely to double soon.
City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, along with some major foundations and Wall Street hedge fund managers, are lined up to “reform” public education. They want to see the teachers unions broken, senior teachers removed and teacher’s jobs as temporary ones. These forces are spending a lot of money to buy support from politicians to publicly support charter school expansion.
They also control the media, which has launched an all-out attack on educators in order to turn public opinion against them. On any given day you can read anti-teacher or pro-charter articles in any of the major papers.
Making it all happen is a network of reformers dedicated to overhauling public education in the United States. They are working in key positions in school districts and charter school networks, legislating in state capitals, staffing city halls and statehouses with reform-minded mayors and governors, writing papers for policy groups and dispensing grants from billion-dollar philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates.
Gates; U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, founder of Teach for America, a recruiter of business people and college graduates who sign contracts to teach for two years in inner-city schools; Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp; and Klein could be considered the patron saints of the network.
The original premise of charter schools was to help children who need extra assistance. What has happened under the leadership of Klein is that charters are now competing with public schools. Charters cherry-pick their students, thereby ensuring their success. Charters are given more resources than local public schools. Local public schools are becoming overwhelmed with more overcrowding, higher numbers of poor-performing students and educators, parents and students whose concerns continue to be ignored.
Charters should be allowed to co-exist with public schools, but not to the detriment of public schools. Charters should exist in their own