On Choice in Education
You know what I'm really tired of doing? Thinking of ways to market my school. You know what would probably make me a happier, more effective teacher? More time to think about my instruction and students' work with colleagues.
Last month the small school I teach at was told that we need something of a new direction. The way it was presented? We have a "choice." We can begin offering AP courses, IB courses, or something else called College in the High School - which encompasses a series of programs offered by different universities that allow certified high school teachers to teach courses that entitle students to college credit. To be fair to the district, they went on to say something to the effect of, "Well, it doesn't HAVE to be one of those, but it has to be some program, and those are the only ones we know of."
While it wasn't stated explicitly, it seems pretty likely we've been given this "choice" because our district is very excited about offering students and parents "choice," and there are a lot of vocal parents uninterested in "choosing" our school. So, something has to be done.
Last year, one of the other small schools on our campus, Odyssey, became a school of choice. Odyssey offer
Last month the small school I teach at was told that we need something of a new direction. The way it was presented? We have a "choice." We can begin offering AP courses, IB courses, or something else called College in the High School - which encompasses a series of programs offered by different universities that allow certified high school teachers to teach courses that entitle students to college credit. To be fair to the district, they went on to say something to the effect of, "Well, it doesn't HAVE to be one of those, but it has to be some program, and those are the only ones we know of."
While it wasn't stated explicitly, it seems pretty likely we've been given this "choice" because our district is very excited about offering students and parents "choice," and there are a lot of vocal parents uninterested in "choosing" our school. So, something has to be done.
Last year, one of the other small schools on our campus, Odyssey, became a school of choice. Odyssey offer