The Charter School Miracle that Isn’t—Special Education in NOLA
It’s segregating kids with disabilities, and letting the charter schools off the hook.
—Parent advocate Karran Harper Royal
—Parent advocate Karran Harper Royal
The changes happening to schools in New Orleans—the conversion from public to private—has sadly become a prototype for schools across the country. All parents, teachers and taxpayers should be concerned. While charter advocates see charters as miracles, in special education we know they’re not, and New Orleans demonstrates this well.
Here, I am referring to the article by Danielle Dreilinger from The Times-Picayune (where I also got the quote above) describing the special education charter school changes in NOLA since the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) recent settlement. It demonstrates well the hypocrisy of charter schools for students with special needs.
These students are the square pegs (I say that admiringly) that can’t fit into the one round hole, and it is why many school reforms don’t work—Common Core, charter schools, and cheap teacher training are examples.
Charter schools promised to do for students, especially poor students, what they claimed public schools failed to do. But what we have seen repeatedly is the selectivity of students in charter schools who are able to march in a straight line—I mean that literally. Real public schools never had any problems working with these students!
While traditional public schools were de-funded and credentialed teachers demoralized, charter schools, with young, fast-tracked teacher temps, many from Teach The Charter School Miracle that Isn’t—Special Education in NOLA:
FLIP THE
LOUISIANA BOARD OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
( BESE)
LOUISIANA BOARD OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
( BESE)
Big Education Ape: FLIP THE LOUISIANA BOARD OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ( BESE) http://bit.ly/1JKBCtL #flipbese