John Thompson: An Open Letter About a New School in Oklahoma City
John Thompson, retired teacher and historian in Oklahoma, writes an open letter:
Open Letter to Enes Kanter
Mr. Kanter,
Thank you for your continued support of children, especially low-income and immigrant students in Oklahoma City. And thank you for your opposition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. I live halfway between Dove Academy, a part of the charter Gülen chain, and the Raindrop Turkish American Cultural Center in Oklahoma City. I’m so thankful for the multicultural contributions of immigrants to Oklahoma City.
While I’m thrilled by the contributions of past and present Thunder NBA basketball players to Oklahoma City schools, I would ask you to please reconsider your application for the Enes Kanter School for Exceptional Learning charter school (EKSEL). Rather than open another charter, which will inevitably sow divisiveness and damage neighborhood schools serving our poorest children of color, I hope you will consider a proposal along the lines of the win-win education contribution of Lebron James.
The New York Times notes that the LeBron James’s I Promise School is:
Unlike other schools connected to celebrities, I Promise is not a charter school run by a private operator but a public school operated by the district. Its population is 60 CONTINUE READING: John Thompson: An Open Letter About a New School in Oklahoma City | Diane Ravitch's blog
