At the Trib's February 25 symposium on public education at Rice University, Morgan Smith talked about the prospect of greater choice and more charters with Caprice Young of the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, Rosemary Perlmeter of Teaching Trust, Duncan Klussmann of Spring Branch Independent School District and David Anthony of Raise Your Hand Texas.
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Comments (5)
Karen Spivey-Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Hell No. Someone better be following the money if this scheme is implemented. http://www.statesman.com/news/news/opinion/hamilton-tax-credits-a-smokescreen-for-school-vouc/nT8hx/
Meme Me
This is a very interesting discussion.....
Proud Texan
Co-location of charters with local public schools makes a lot of sense. Solves both the facilities and transportation issues.
Denise Miller
This panel discussion shows there is a lot of potential for rethinking the way we educate children in Texas, but iit did not address several important factors. Texas has used the standardized testing hammer to try to force reform without doing the hard, dirty work of changing schools. It has done so at the same time that the legislature has chosen to begin defunding public education.
Smith (Arnold Foundation) ties the poor performance of low income, African American, and Latino children on standardized tests to prejudice and inadequate remediation; and she asserts that fixing these problems will improve student performance. In other words, poor children fail because of failing schools. Data on children in Texas also show alarming trends due to poverty, but the state has taken an aggressive stance against addressing poverty issues. Until we move beyond this simplistic view that equates child failure with school failure and begin to take a broader view of the social, mental, and physical health of local communities, I doubt there will be significant inroads change for children.
Meme Me
Successful schools have Administrators who are out in the trenches involved with the students, teachers and parents and not locked up in their offices uninvolved...I've seen both!
also, Don't forget that in Texas we have a huge population of children who may not have ever been to school on a regular basis and upon arrival here don't speak English and must be taught this primary element.