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Saturday, January 14, 2012

Schools Matter: GUEST POST: The Parent Trigger Trap

Schools Matter: GUEST POST: The Parent Trigger Trap:

GUEST POST: The Parent Trigger Trap

The Parent Trigger Trap

by Douglas Storm

This from a piece in the the Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY and Southern Indiana) titled “Bill would give Indiana parents ability to convert schools to charters,” about the so-called “Parent Trigger.” As a nod to my favorite local school board member (you know who you are), I wish this were about Parent Tiggers. That would make the world a much happier place.
Parents could vote to convert traditional schools to charters under a bill an Indiana House committee passed Wednesday.
But several lawmakers said they might not vote for House Bill 1219 when it moves to the House floor unless the bill is amended.
The bill, authored by Rep. Rhonda Rhoads, R-Corydon, would convert schools to charters — which

'Teach for America' overstates its classroom success


A recent article in The Post and Courier announced "Struggling schools to get strong teachers" (Diette Courrégé, Dec. 13, 2011). The article, as well as commentaries and a subsequent article, suggests that Charleston's high-poverty schools struggle to attract and maintain high-quality teachers and that Teach for America (TFA) recruits are appropriate solutions to that problem.

South Carolina and Charleston, however, should heed the considerable evidence that challenges that claim.

First, we must acknowledge that teacher recruitment and retention are historical problems faced across S.C.