- public-so that it is free to attend
- private-so that it is free from the demands of testing mania
If Florida has been able to walk away from this ludicrous testing that serves to make people rich and not to better the educational situations of our children then why can't New York? What does it take to get rid of it? Where are the names of the New Yorkers in charge of this system of education without actually having experience within the system. At the very least we need experienced educators to have a voice in whatever meetings are going on behind the scenes raping our public schools of funding and collecting funds from our tax dollars to do so.
This should read as headlines everyday until it is resolved. Who gave ALEC permission to speak for the ninety nine percent of our populations? That body should be made to stand trial for the funds being stolen from the poor and the power given to the rich at the cost of our children and America's future.
You could open a private school that was funded by a large endowment so that no one had to pay tuition. But you'd have to find the right donor, or set of donors, because you'd be as beholden to your contributors as our government is to ALEC and the Koch brothers. People who are willing and able to donate a million or so dollars to an organization usually expect to have a say in how that organization is run.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how charter schools work, exactly. But they are basically private schools funded by public money. I'm not a fan of them. But I think you could use that set up to establish a free school that was public in that it is open to the public, but not subject to the same requirements and restrictions as public schools. I don't know enough about the laws and regulations governing them. I think what you would need to do is set up a non-profit organization, and start pitching for contracts with the DOE. Then when you get a charter, you take over half a school, and start hiring teachers. I'm sure it's more complicated than that. But those are the basics as I understand them.
Thanks for your comments Sean. I'm convinced a "community school" is the best prepared to asses and tackle the challenges of poverty. I'm not sure if you're familiar with them but the best description that comes to mind is a full service learning community. On premises would be doctors, dentists, food banks, opticians, and civic groups ensuring our children have what they need when they need it treating the child holistically because they are not only little scholars. We know how our timely feedback in matters of academics are impactful and relevant however, what community schools are proving is that attending to all of the needs of the child, in a timely manner, ensures academic growth. With that said the next question for me has to do with how to open this school, public, charter, private, or are community schools in a class onto themselves? I think they are or should be.
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