Why the Demand for Virtual Charter Schools?
We know from studies and reports that online charter schools provide inferior education.
We know that they have lower graduation rates and lower test scores than brick-and-mortar schools.
We know that they have high attrition rates, as students enroll and leave within a year or two.
We know that children enrolled in virtual charter schools do not have the opportunity to interact on a regular basis with other children of their age or have face-to-face interaction with live teachers. We know that they will not develop the social skills that come from such interchange.
We know why they are a growing business: They make
Are TFA Teachers “Highly Qualified”?
We know that they have lower graduation rates and lower test scores than brick-and-mortar schools.
We know that they have high attrition rates, as students enroll and leave within a year or two.
We know that children enrolled in virtual charter schools do not have the opportunity to interact on a regular basis with other children of their age or have face-to-face interaction with live teachers. We know that they will not develop the social skills that come from such interchange.
We know why they are a growing business: They make
Are TFA Teachers “Highly Qualified”?
Valerie Strauss of The Washington Post asks a seemingly obvious question: Should a teacher with only five weeks of training be considered “highly qualified”? The answer is obviously no..
But the question pertains to Teach for America, which has lobbied Congress to make sure that its neophytes are somehow treated as “highly qualified” under the No Child Left Behind act. The federal appeals court in California has twice said that TFA teachers are not highly qualified, and that they should not be concentrated in districts of high poverty and high disadvantage, where children actually need “highly qualified” teachers, not young college
But the question pertains to Teach for America, which has lobbied Congress to make sure that its neophytes are somehow treated as “highly qualified” under the No Child Left Behind act. The federal appeals court in California has twice said that TFA teachers are not highly qualified, and that they should not be concentrated in districts of high poverty and high disadvantage, where children actually need “highly qualified” teachers, not young college