Bob Peterson, founding editor of Rethinking Schools. He teaches fifth grade at a public school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He co-edited the book Keeping the Promise?: The Debate over Charter Schools. Source: Democracy Now
Charter Schools were sold as a type of free market miracle that would unleash competition and creativity in schools.
Recently it was reported that Charter Schools have been under performing public schools and this data has also been found in other previous reports. (See my report, Why Destroy Public Schools? Charter Schools Get a Failing Grade).
So the wise thing to do would be to promote the Public School System, a democratic institution that educates all and doesn't selectively get to pick and choose to segregate student populations like Charter Schools.
Still educating our children in vibrant neighborhood schools that work well is not the key here. Profit and corporatization of public education is the motive in promoting Charter Schools.
We have recently seen what the market solution has done to the nation's economy. The government allowed the financial interests to run Wall Street and the country and both collapsed. The market solution didn't work on Wall Street and it certainly won't work in public education.
We need to be promoting the public solution that has years and years of reliability in educating American youth. A public solution that accepts all children to educate. In public schools there are no throw away kids.
But the Charter Schools will continue to get the funding that could be going to our democratic, highly functioning public schools. This push for Charter Schools is the same aggressive stance George W. Bush took to destroy Public Education. Now President Obama has decided that change in direction in the interests of our children is not important. What is important is the push for corporatization and profit in education.
Recently it was reported that Charter Schools have been under performing public schools and this data has also been found in other previous reports. (See my report, Why Destroy Public Schools? Charter Schools Get a Failing Grade).
So the wise thing to do would be to promote the Public School System, a democratic institution that educates all and doesn't selectively get to pick and choose to segregate student populations like Charter Schools.
Still educating our children in vibrant neighborhood schools that work well is not the key here. Profit and corporatization of public education is the motive in promoting Charter Schools.
We have recently seen what the market solution has done to the nation's economy. The government allowed the financial interests to run Wall Street and the country and both collapsed. The market solution didn't work on Wall Street and it certainly won't work in public education.
We need to be promoting the public solution that has years and years of reliability in educating American youth. A public solution that accepts all children to educate. In public schools there are no throw away kids.
But the Charter Schools will continue to get the funding that could be going to our democratic, highly functioning public schools. This push for Charter Schools is the same aggressive stance George W. Bush took to destroy Public Education. Now President Obama has decided that change in direction in the interests of our children is not important. What is important is the push for corporatization and profit in education.
