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Tired, cynical – Them is fightin words

/0 Comments/in , , /by Scott W. Graves and Micaela Dawson

At Tuesday’s hearing on charter schools, the Mass Association of School Superintendents (MASS) trotted out their “tired” and “cynical” attempt to snuff out charters. “Tired”, “cynical”? Well, don’t ask me, read today’s inspired Globe editorial on charter schools, which opens by calling the supes’ bill “shifty” and not “merit[ing] serious consideration.” There is a lot of speaking truth to power, or at least to the MASS Protectors of the Status Quo. EACH YEAR opponents of state-supervised charter schools in Massachusetts perform the same tired dance steps on Beacon Hill in an effort to stamp out these distinctive examples of education reform. It’s a cynical exercise and an insult to the families of roughly 19,000 young people waiting for an opportunity […]

More quotes on charters

/0 Comments/in , , /by Scott W. Graves and Micaela Dawson

The challenge to the reign of the education establishment is showing all kinds of crevices among Democrats and those positions that had once protected the status quo. From James A. Williams, Superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools: “I’m not afraid of charter schools. I want to learn from them.” And from Arne Duncan, CEO of Chicago Public Schools: “[Creating charter schools] is about a lot more than education. It’s really about a movement for social justice. Our kids desperately need to have the best education possible.” “I’m not an ideological person but I like the competition and choice [charter schools] provide.” Again, thanks to M. Goldstein for forwarding these.

After the charter hearing, more quotes

/0 Comments/in , , /by Scott W. Graves and Micaela Dawson

Paul Vallas, Superintendent of the New Orleans Recovery School District “I have said over and over again that if charters are performing, they should be expanded” “I think charters provide an excellent tool for school districts to expand educational choice. But I like charters that work. The great thing about charters is that if the school is failing, you don’t have to try to reconstitute it. You can just shut it down” Thanks again to Mike Goldstein of the MATCH School for passing these on.

Equal Treatment for All!

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Just returned from a packed State House hearing on charter schools, which included enough material to fuel the blogosphere for the foreseeable future.   Due to the number of people wishing to testify, the education committee was unusually strict about enforcing a three-minute limit on individual testimony — which led to my personal favorite moment of the afternoon.  Sen. Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton),  the most unquestioning of public employee union supporters, railed against inequality, claiming charter schools call themselves public but are more like privates in their entrance requirements.  The alarm marking the end of his three minutes sounded.  Undaunted, he continued — this time accusing charters of busing people to the hearing and feeding them with public funds.  After all, the same rules should apply to everyone. The […]

After the charter hearing, some quotes

/0 Comments/in , , /by Scott W. Graves and Micaela Dawson

I hope our legislators are open to understanding the wisdom of these statements from Joel Klein, Chancellor of the New York City Public Schools: “Our parents are on the waiting lists and it seems to me unconscionable, quite frankly, when we have parents who want these opportunities and these choices, and they’re being denied them.” “Giving people choices is always empowering and almost always will lead to better outcomes for kids… You want people to vote with their feet and then take appropriate action (as the district).” “To me it’s unimaginable that we wouldn’t be allowed to create more charter schools. It’s not like you’ve got a whole bunch of high-performing schools in the South Bronx or Central Brooklyn. What […]