tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post4764921284067023310..comments2024-03-27T20:01:11.889-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Winners for Round Two of RTTTMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-18430164297463409212010-08-27T18:04:36.230-07:002010-08-27T18:04:36.230-07:00"with loaded guns to shoot anybody who does n..."with loaded guns to shoot anybody who does not agree with her"<br /><br />Hilarious because the original post wasn't EVEN about charters and somehow here we are.<br /><br />I put up some research on charters and parent involvement and that's "loaded guns"? Holy cow. I even said you could join forces with the Spadys if you wanted. I'm encouraging anyone who thinks charters are the answer to go out and make it a reality. What's stopping you?<br /><br />Momma Snark, I would love to hear your mother's charter story. Maybe you could ask her if she would be willing to write a thread about it. I would be glad to put it up.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-52808221101254314322010-08-27T16:07:24.518-07:002010-08-27T16:07:24.518-07:00That was quite a Hmmm, Charlie. Here is what I th...That was quite a Hmmm, Charlie. Here is what I think!<br /><br />IF the Board took note of the Alt policy and decided to enforce/defend it against the current onslaught, all they would have to do would be to let the Superintendent and her staff no that the next vote on (pick your pleasure -- start times, text books, pedagogy, pacing guides, SAP plans that lead to ludicrous results like language immersion programs not being optional) would be a "no" vote -- unless she brings them something that (1) has been through a valid community engagement process and (2) conforms to the ALT policy.<br /><br />We will never have good governance with this Superindentant (because she is not good at governing) -- but we would have less horrible governance if the Board would perform their function as a board (and ultimately, we might have a change of governance, if the current administration got tired of having to play by the rules (i.e. -- the policies).Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09923777229601243321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-60083122052364556302010-08-27T15:55:29.799-07:002010-08-27T15:55:29.799-07:00Hmmm. How to say this? Hmmm.
I really, really lik...Hmmm. How to say this? Hmmm.<br /><br />I really, really liked what I heard Susan Enfield say at the Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee meeting about the alternative schools having license to use the materials and pedagogy of their choice, so long as they met the content requirements of the State Standards and the District College-Ready Standards.<br /><br />The only thing that troubled me about the words was their source: Susan Enfield. She will say anything and it will mean nothing. She strikes me as obsequious to those above her and tyrannical to those beneath her. She has shown herself to be completely without principle.<br /><br />The Alternative School Policy, C54.00, if followed, would allow the alts to choose their own staff, including principal. Unfortunately, Major General Johnson will not delegate any such authority to the school site. That authority, like all authority in the District, must be hoarded centrally.<br /><br />So Dr. Enfield can say all kinds of pretty things to the Alternative School Coalition, or to the Board, or to the public, but, in the end, all of the authority will be retained in the death grip of the Major General.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-81725316598906749662010-08-27T15:03:03.571-07:002010-08-27T15:03:03.571-07:00When Raj left, many of the old school board member...When Raj left, many of the old school board members left, etc. -- I don't recall anyone --ANYONE -- saying that they disliked Seattle's alts, or wanted to water them down, remove local control, or get rid of them entirely. And because I LOVE the alts (and wish there were more of them), I don't think that would have slipped by me. There may have been some specific problems with specific alts, -- but in general, I think Seattle families have always supported them.<br /> <br />So -- how is it, then, that we have a school board that is so totally willing to destroy our alt schools? -- and so totally unwilling to listen to parents and students on the issue? <br />Somehow, in the "guise" of putting together a local neighborhood assignment plan (I was against going to the SAP as well, but I understand I lost that particular battle, and I agree that the old choice system had lots of warts), MGJ has used it as an opportunity to:<br />1. Destroy alts (literally, or by a thousand cuts, in the case of AS1, etc.)<br />2. Centralize "curriculum," and, yes, pedagogy -- because there is no way you can keep pace with the Everyday Math "pacing guides" and simultaneously teach mastery-based math with nonexistent Singapore resources); and<br />3. Do away with things like site-based participation in things like principal selection, etc.? <br /><br />Also Rabbit -- I am not sure I would concede "close to the same services and opportunities" -- as this kind of language is, I think how "control" becomes so centralized. If you read Charlie's notes on the latest curriculum meeting -- there is all this emphasis on not allowing any one school to have stuff that not all schools can get -- because it wouldn't be "equitable." We don't all have the academies that Ballard has (and I would have loved my child to go there for one -- but we live too far away -- but I do NOT want to deprive the Ballard students of those just because my student doesn't get them. Not all kids get access to IB. Only a couple of schools have award-winning jazz programs. It was FINE with me if Nathan Hale wanted to start later, and require less seat time (as long as it was published, and test scores were about the same -- but then I don't ascribe to the view that seat time equals education). Every time we allow District central to use the equity argument -- it becomes justification for them to take decisionmaking, and opportunities, away from school sites. <br /><br />I realize site based decisionmaking is not the holy grail of education administration either, because not all schools have local administrators of equal quality, equally involved PTSAs, etc. BUT -- it seems to me that a concerned and devoted parent/community group can make a whole lot more impact at a single school level than they seem to be able to make at the district level.Jannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65330673243345052032010-08-27T11:22:16.665-07:002010-08-27T11:22:16.665-07:00Bingo Josh!
I totally understand that with an as...Bingo Josh! <br /><br />I totally understand that with an assignment plan that severely limits choice and transportation, and forces families into neighborhood schools then those neighborhood schools should all offer close to the same services and opportunities (IE all schools have a counselor, art, music, recess, etc). <br /><br />However "option" schools, as choice schools, should have far more freedom and leeway to choose their own pedagogy, staff, budget,start and end times, school governance, geographical draw, etc.<br /><br />Why are option schools subject to the rote standardization (Discovery math, Writers Workshop, NSF kits, start/end times, centralized meal service, etc)? That just doesn't make sense.seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01231800476411684686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-75601199064054109142010-08-27T11:11:03.790-07:002010-08-27T11:11:03.790-07:00Sounds a lot like what AE2's (now Thornton Cre...Sounds a lot like what AE2's (now Thornton Creek) experiential learning used to look like. How sad that we are losing so much of the creative learning experience for more and more rote standardization.seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01231800476411684686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-60591922320909682932010-08-27T10:03:05.882-07:002010-08-27T10:03:05.882-07:00Does anyone here know anything about Portland char...Does anyone here know anything about Portland charter schools? Here's a link to <a href="http://www.emersonschool.org/home.htm" rel="nofollow">The Emerson School</a><br /><br />It sounds like it applies something like the "City School" model that TOPS used to be able to emphasize more:<br /><br /><i>On their daily visit to a local park, students notice a large number of bicycles over-filling a bicycle rack. Through a class discussion and problem solving session, they decide that another bicycle rack is needed nearby for people to safely store their bikes. This requires a study of city services: who needs to be contacted, what type of proposal needs to be written, and how to pay for the new rack. The final result is a written proposal to the City, a bake sale to raise the funds, and a ceremony as the new bike rack is installed. Through a wide variety of community service projects, students learn the importance of being contributing members of the school and community at large. </i> <br /><br />Click on the "Curriculum FAQs" page. Too long to post here, but sounds ideal to me.<br /><br />CAO Susan Enfield came from Portland I think. I wonder if all of her talk about Alts being innovative is related to her experience there? (Maureen thought hopefully)Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-9655936429190377092010-08-27T09:52:59.863-07:002010-08-27T09:52:59.863-07:00And by the way, I don't want to disrespect tra...And by the way, I don't want to disrespect traditional-model schools. For a lot of kids, that's a really good pedagogical model. But for a significant number of OTHER kids, that doesn't work, and other approaches do. It's a big-tent idea.Josh Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242600011474990770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-10737345137512763402010-08-27T09:51:38.867-07:002010-08-27T09:51:38.867-07:00uxolo, I think the point is, SPS central views loc...uxolo, I think the point is, SPS central views local control as anathema. They don't even want schools shuffling staffing around: for years we did without a counselor at all in favor of using that (certified) slot for an extra teacher. No more - and I LIKE our counselor, but it'd sure be nice to have another teacher.<br /><br />So I guess the reason we can't have schools governed by the people at the school - principal, teachers, parents, students, other staff - is because SPS doesn't want that to happen. They don't want anyone having a vote except them.<br /><br />Maybe the better question is, how do we wrestle that power back, at least for some set of "different" schools; we could call them, um, something to distinguish them from standard schools. Hmm. "Alternative", perhaps? :-)Josh Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242600011474990770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-35644137482795850202010-08-27T06:46:50.115-07:002010-08-27T06:46:50.115-07:00Instead of parent-run charter schools, why not use...Instead of parent-run charter schools, why not use the Local School Council model to govern our PUBLIC schools? With this model, each school has parents, guardians, people who LIVE in the neighborhood and principal with equal voting power making budget, scope and sequence decisions, you name it. <br /><br />Families are already invested in their schools, why not get some voting rights? It would certainly bring back a decentralized school system.<br /><br /> I thought CPPS was working on this possibility.uxolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01595802010492801183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20339296176394974682010-08-26T17:25:58.689-07:002010-08-26T17:25:58.689-07:00I agree with Josh and SC (at least I think I do --...I agree with Josh and SC (at least I think I do -- if I have understood them correctly, and if I didn't, I apologize in advance):<br />I do NOT argue/advocate for charter schools right now. I DO think that we could (theoretically, but we can't practically, right now) achieve most of what charter schools do, within public schools, IF we would bring alts back to what they were originally intended to be/do. The good things about working with alts within the current structure are two (as I see them):<br />First, it tends to get rid of the national/for-profit (or nonprofit in name only) charters, as they won't want to/be able to work within the framework of public schools. <br />Second -- I sort of think that part of the reason for killing Seattle's alts is to drive all choice OUT of the system (when the District knows that families want/need it), in hopes of driving us directly into the arms of Charter legislation that will overwhelm us with bad charter schools that do NOT permit/welcome parent input, that intentionally drive out kids who they don't want, and that do not promote true diversity. I hate to say it -- but I worry about our chances of ever being able to nurture along a "good" charter law, with huge amounts of private funding straining to get THEIR hands on our physical assets and our tax money for cookie cutter charter schools with long hours, Saturday sessions, etc. <br /><br />What I want to do is get rid of a couple of board members (enough to undo the mindless majority that currently backs policies that Seattle parents do NOT support), get rid of the current district management in favor of management that will return taxpayer dollars to schools, and will support greater choice in education. ALL Montessori schools should be choice schools; all language immersion schools should be choice schools; Summit should have been supported, not closed; AS1 should get waivers to return to a truly alt status, and the existing ALT policy (INCLUDING the idea that the community has meaningful input into the selection of the principal and the staff) should be restored.<br />The Board should being to refuse to vote on ANY district supported agenda items that have not been subject to meaningful (not pretend, artificial) community involvement. <br />If people out there really want changes in the way teachers are evaluated -- let them start with the four tier plan that has already been agreed to, and let them start putting in place pilot programs to see if there is, in fact, any way to use student performance in fairly evaluating teacher effectiveness -- AND what the "true cost" is -- in dollars for the tests, in degradation of the curriculum, in the performance of those same students on the HSPE, college entrance exams (PSATs, SATs, ACTs), in drop out rates, in college acceptance rates. Give me 10 years of robust data -- and THEN let's see where we are!Jannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-22346855076768706622010-08-26T17:00:41.777-07:002010-08-26T17:00:41.777-07:00Actually, Josh, if charters were legal in WA, a ch...Actually, Josh, if charters were legal in WA, a charter school could be created and modeled after the original AS1 structure. Counter productive to create what we already had once, I know, but it may be the only shot for alt ed in Seattle at this point.seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01231800476411684686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-7518100266639519452010-08-26T12:10:38.615-07:002010-08-26T12:10:38.615-07:00RttT winner Mass. from WGBH - Boston
what it mean...RttT winner Mass. from WGBH - Boston<br />what it means .........<br /><br /><br />There is a lot worth listening to in the series of podcasts linked below.<br /><br />8-25-2010 Diane Ravitch Podcast on Education and RttT<br /><br />It is the first program below:<br /><br /><br />The Emily Rooney Show<br />Each weekday, 12noon-1pm, on 89.7 WGBH (Boston)<br /><br />Wednesday, August 25, 2010<br /><br />Race to the Top<br />Kara Miller guest hosts.<br /><br />Listen here:<br /><a href="http://streams.wgbh.org/online/roon/roon_podcast.xml" rel="nofollow"> http://streams.wgbh.org/online/roon/roon_podcast.xml</a>dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-4109887176442148782010-08-26T11:15:00.252-07:002010-08-26T11:15:00.252-07:00I just had a brilliant thought: here's how to ...I just had a brilliant thought: here's how to get the district behind the health and well-being of AS1: <br /><br />Change the name to "Charter School #1", and go back to the original school structure. I LIKE it! (But don't tell 'em it's not really a charter school, see.)Josh Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242600011474990770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-54255196006788864412010-08-26T11:13:05.768-07:002010-08-26T11:13:05.768-07:00Interesting perspective, Maureen. Thanks for that....Interesting perspective, Maureen. Thanks for that.<br /><br />I suspect that AS1 will close in another year or so: the enrollment just continues to fall, and the original approach of the school has been so watered-down that there's really not all that much alternative about it (though what remains is, for my kids, great). Just for the sake of argument, if AS1 DID close, that would mean that the N and NE areas would not have an "option" school in the middle school years. Or would SPS call Addams an "option" school - a peculiar judgement, since they were assigning kids to it when it opened, and there's really nothing alternative about it anyway.Josh Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242600011474990770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-86875693961622451302010-08-26T09:56:06.363-07:002010-08-26T09:56:06.363-07:00A friend of a friend is a teacher in Portland, she...A friend of a friend is a teacher in Portland, she has now pulled both of her kids out of public schools (one from the popular immersion school she teachers at) and has sent them to Charter schools. The kids are bright/quirky and just weren't progressing or fitting in the way they should have. <br /><br />I asked her if she thought it was a problem that people like her were leaving the public sytem. The charters her kids are at are pretty (ethnically) diverse, but the 'problem' kids aren't there. She allowed that was an issue (she has seen the value of having economic diversity in her own classroom) but knew she had to do what was best for her own kids.<br /><br />Of course Alternative schools in Seattle can be like this too. Parents have to know/care enough to sign up so that creates a different population of students. It will be interesting to see if the "Geographic Zones" impact that.Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-87133528679815764472010-08-26T07:05:00.655-07:002010-08-26T07:05:00.655-07:00So half the parents looki elsewhere, the ones look...So half the parents looki elsewhere, the ones looking for depth; charters etc.<br /><br />The other half, the parents who are poor, disenfranchized etc, minority groups (the tool and target of reform) are convinced that the system put in place in their poor neighborhoods is an improvement: KIPP, Edison, etc<br /><br />win-win for reform - "choice" for those looking for non-aligned teaching; "rigor" and "structure" for those who are convinced their student's school, teacher, and students are "failing."seattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-79546122757038664462010-08-26T07:01:53.445-07:002010-08-26T07:01:53.445-07:00Not only does doing away with alternatives (or mov...Not only does doing away with alternatives (or moving them, etc) help the cause of charters, but so does common, or aligned, curriculum. While there are certainly some benefits to aligned curriculum, when it becomes nearer to standardized, scripted, packaged curriculum it drives away those parent/guardians (and students) who value depth and richness and "teachable moments" etc.<br /><br />So, strangely, while one half of the argument for "reform" is standards, everyone doing the same thing etc (how can you measure teachers against one another unless they are all doing the same thing?) the other half is extolling the wonders of charters that allow choice and options.seattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29554723688470966942010-08-25T21:58:01.835-07:002010-08-25T21:58:01.835-07:00That's an interesting point Josh, and not so f...That's an interesting point Josh, and not so far fetched. I'll have to ponder it ....seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01231800476411684686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-14299296077786336752010-08-25T21:29:43.314-07:002010-08-25T21:29:43.314-07:00Jan, thank you for a lengthy and thoughtful respon...Jan, thank you for a lengthy and thoughtful response.<br /><br />My question to everybody: Why do we need charters, if public schools (sans charters) can have policy made that allows for all the things Jan brings up?<br /><br />We CAN have choice, varied styles, varied programs...We CAN have varied curriculum.<br /><br />It concerns me when the argument is made that we need some sort of charter (or even exception to any given policy....and there are many, granted) because the "regular" schools don't do this or that. Basically that is saying, "our board, with our money, isn't doing what we want so we should be given the money and be freed from some policy constraints to do something else."<br /><br />To me this is an abrogation of responsibility. Sure one can make the arguement that districts aren't doing what we want. Is that justification for fracturing that democratically structured system into myraid pieces, diminishing the will of the citizeny (as expressed through their election of a board to make policy and oversee the supt, who runs the schools)?<br /><br />So: It's true that the district does things I don't like. I'd love to see non-"aligned" curriculum again. Should I therefore argue for an exception? Why not argue for change to the existing structure? Sounds like there are a lot of people out there who want choice and change, why not do the democratic thing and do right by the entire system instead of carving out an exception for one's own particular desire?seattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-7836367956547436932010-08-25T21:17:01.763-07:002010-08-25T21:17:01.763-07:00Rabbit, if an SPS school suspends or expels a stud...Rabbit, if an SPS school suspends or expels a student, it (or another school) will take the student. In the case of suspension, the student will return to the sending school. Long-term suspension warrants a re-entry program, then return to sending school. Explusion requires, I believe, a "cooling off period, then return to SOME SPS school, or arrangements for SOME sort of public education (I'm not as clear on this point) Public schools are required to teach every child, bottom line, and they can't, without serious cause, move students along.<br /><br />Regarding curriculum: So you're saying that because the board has approved common curriculum, charters should be formed to be exempt from it? Then (as the board committee is discussing tonight, I believe) why shouldn't ALL public schools have the ability to waive this requirement?<br /><br />Seattle District? Seattle Policy. If I as a taxpayer (and voter for board members) am giving money to create schools, I expect that they will all hold to the policy that board creates, I don't expect to schools to veer off with my money and have their own little gig.<br /><br />I think there SHOULD be waivers to common curriculum. So I should advocate for it, vote for board members who support it. I don't beleive it honors the intention of public education to just hand my money to whoever wants it because they don't like policy.seattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-28143635475121263972010-08-25T21:06:55.358-07:002010-08-25T21:06:55.358-07:00Well, Rabbit, that's true - but it didn't ...Well, Rabbit, that's true - but it didn't USE to be true. It's been a deliberate effort on the part of SPS central to deny local choices in curriculum, in pedagogy, in staff choices - including principals - and so forth. <br /><br />My belief is that this is for the explicit goal of doing away with the "charter-like" functionality we used to have in SPS, so that they could cry that "we need charters!" and so privatize what used to be public alternative schools. But maybe that's just paranoia on my part. If only it didn't comport so well with the facts on the ground.Josh Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242600011474990770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-40335339387684427962010-08-25T20:29:00.328-07:002010-08-25T20:29:00.328-07:00That leaves two issues: fidelity to all policies,...That leaves two issues: fidelity to all policies, and union issues.<br /><br />On policies, I think there are some that charter style alts would have to agree to live with -- and others that they should be released from (the latter group includes virtually all curriculum choices), at least as they relate to pedagogy and materials. I suppose you could keep the learning standards -- but even there, in some schools (like Waldorf) the teaching of reading follows a different timeline but everyone gets there in the end. As long as kids all get to about the same place by middle/high school, why should anyone micromanage exactly when the sounding out of words happens? Also -- I agree with Sahila that not all kids need to leave high school prepared for a four year liberal arts college, if they are going to culinary school, or shipbuilding school, or acting school. As long as there is rigorous learning going on, and the district overseeing the charters maintains a level of rigor that is appropriate (based on their reaction to the proposals of the school), there is nothing "sacred" about many of these policies. They change from time to time. Things that are nonnegotiable today will be out in 5 years, and things no one requires now will be non-negotiable then. If/when we go to requiring 24 credits to graduate, will we go back and "void" or "asterisk" all those old diplomas, because the kids clearly didn't deserve to graduate from high school? Of course not, because these are all arbitrary policies, and if a school community has a good reason for doing something else -- they should be able to. I feel the same about class hours, starting times -- you name it. And seat time? Hm. How is it that kids who cannot be trusted to learn anything at all if their rears are not glued to a seat 6 hours a day at age 17 as high school seniors are -- all of them -- perfectly capable of covering 2 or 3 times as much material the next year, as college freshmen, even though they may have only 12 to 15 class hours per week? <br /><br />Finally -- the unions. The only distinctions I would make here is that I would keep, or hope to keep, the entire teaching staff unionized, but the model would require two things:<br />1. Teachers would not be able to force their way onto a teaching staff at an alt or charter school, if their teaching style, experience, etc. was incompatible. But even now -- can a teacher who has never been trained in Montessori demand a Montessori position at Graham Hill? Can a teacher who does not speak Spanish or Chinese demand a spot in one of the international schools? I would assume not, but don't really know. <br />The only other thing might be that, in the case of some charters, the hours of instruction, etc., might be different, and so the union rules would have to accommodate that. If you have an experiential school where everyone goes out and lives in the wilderness for a week in February, with teachers as group guides -- they would have to be up for that to work in that school. This doesn't seem all that hard to me, but maybe I am naive.Jannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-72752077820506143542010-08-25T20:10:46.168-07:002010-08-25T20:10:46.168-07:00sc: Yes, within the same "limits" as an...sc: Yes, within the same "limits" as any public school run in the usual manner, my imagined charter school would have to take all comers, and keep any student who comes in the door. The exceptions (as I see them) are the same ones that "regular" schools have:<br />1. Not all schools take all special ed kids. Many of the Lowell special ed kids are there because they really can't be anywhere else. It used to be (and I preferred this) that there were specific schools with really good autism spectrum programs (Ballard being maybe the best known). Maybe not EVERY school needs to have EVERY program, but at the same time -- you cant just tell all the SPED kids that all the good alt programs/schools are for the better kids, and they have no choices except for "standard" large high schools. I think it would have to be done on a case by case basis, but depending on the kind of charter, some "kinds" of disabilities do much better in certain settings -- and I think it would be up to charters to make the case (based both on the pedagogy they are using and the demand in the district) for which special programs they would serve. I think this is slightly more chaotic than what happens now (someone downtown "decides" where your kid goes -- and you really don't have any choice) but I think it could be made to work, especially since SOME pedagogies that might be used in a charter school (like direct instruction) lend themselves very well to certain learning disabilities or to things like the early stages of ELL. <br />As for keeping kids -- I also think they need to work like public schools -- so you don't have the egregious examples that I hear about in KIPP schools where 3/4 of the kids are gone by the end of the school's age limit. But on the other hand -- kids DO get suspended/expelled from "regular" schools, and I think that all schools need to have that ability, at some point, for some behaviors. I also think that charters would be formed specifically to address the needs/learning styles/issues of some of these populations -- and that they could be GREAT schools. <br />As for the "contracts" between the schools and the districts -- it sounds as though they get "out of hand" in some cases, allowing the schools more ability than many (including me) would be comfortable with in terms of getting rid of kids. I think that the underlying "law" allowing charters would need to be written to disallow egregious behavior on the part of the school staff. But frankly, in the case of some behavior, it doesn't belong in ANY "regular school." If you are going to be so disruptive that the teacher can't teach -- you need to be (at least temporarily) in a separate class in the building, or a separate building in the district -- and this is true of ALL schools, charter or not.<br /><br />cont'dJannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-87676709560376711752010-08-25T19:18:11.914-07:002010-08-25T19:18:11.914-07:00As a teacher, I really wish more "students si...As a teacher, I really wish more "students sign behavior contracts where if the student messes around, they're out." Honestly. At this point, what's stopping kids from completely disrupting an entire class if they feel like it? I realize we can't just ignore these kids, but there has to be a consequence for outlandish or disruptive behavior in a learning environment. <br /><br />Also, FWIW, my mom started a charter school. Still open, still doing well (not in WA, obviously).Momma Snarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09339323448047497236noreply@blogger.com