So Much to Talk About in Public Education and This is What the Times Prints?
You have to shake your head. What's up with the Times? I'm pretty sure this guy isn't about throwing off the chains of public school education but more about vouchers. That he cloaks his rhetoric in the "it's for the kids" school of thought doesn't make it any better. (Note: like charters, we did vote on vouchers previously and again, the answer was no.) So here’s a crazy idea that just might set the stage for real innovation to happen — a deep change to unleash the creative flow of new thinking and practices. What if we abolished our compulsory school attendance laws, let public schools partner with families and communities to define their own educational programs, and allowed families to choose the kind of education that best fit the needs of their child? What would education without compulsory attendance look like? I can imagine a plethora of innovative programs: part-time schools; programs focused on specific skills, interests and the...