Tuesday, June 3, 2014

League of Women Voters in Florida bust charter school myths and the legislators who stand to profit | Seattle Education

League of Women Voters in Florida bust charter school myths and the legislators who stand to profit | Seattle Education:


Join us in opposing the corporate takeover of our schools tomorrow morning
PLEASE SHOW YOUR OPPOSITION TO CHARTERS AND THEIR CORPORATE, BILLIONAIRE AND RIGHT-WING BACKERS!   JOIN US THIS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4TH, FOR A DEMONSTRATION IN FAVOR OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND AGAINST THE PLANS FOR THE GRADUAL PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION!   We’ll keep this short and to the point. We only found out within the […]

League of Women Voters in Florida bust charter school myths and the legislators who stand to profit

myth-busted

From a press release provided by the League of Women Voters:
State-Wide Study on School Choice
Tallahassee, Fla — Twenty percent of the state’s charter schools close because of financial mismanagement or poor academic standards, according to the League of Women Voters of Florida after a year-long study of charter schools in 28 Florida counties.
“Charter schools could fill a niche in Florida’s educational spectrum, but for many, their biggest contribution may be to corporate bottom lines,” said Deirdre Macnab, President of the League of Women Voters of Florida.
With over 576 charter schools in the state, the League of Women Voters of Florida conducted a study in order to better understand the oversight, management, accountability and transparency of charter and private schools in Florida.
The study found that:
Approximately one-third of charters are run by for-profit management companies. Many screen students, then drop those who are not successful, which public schools are prohibited from doing. Charters also serve particular socio-economic groups, increasing segregation in schools.
Although charters tend to be smaller than traditional schools, there is no consistent difference in achievement for charter school and public school students.
Many charters blur the distinction between religious and non-secular schools. Some churches receive as much as a million dollars in lease payments annually for their facilities from charter schools.
In areas with declining enrollments, neither the charters nor regular public schools are large enough to adequately provide support for staff like nurses or counselors. Retaining teachers is also a problem; most charters offer lower salaries and benefits League of Women Voters in Florida bust charter school myths and the legislators who stand to profit | Seattle Education: