Connecticut has the misfortune to have a bad combination: a significant group of very rich hedge fund managers devoted to charter schools and a state commissioner of education who wants to open more charter schools. The charter schools in the state serve disproportionately small numbers of English language learners. So is it a good idea to open more of them?
Here’s a shocking outbreak of common sense from the Stamford Advocate.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Dr. Ravitch,
My superintendent Michelle Langenfeld and I feel like we know you on a first name basis, as we are avid readers of your blog. I am proud to say that I am working in a school district that is reforming on our own (and not RheePhorming) under the leadership of Dr. Langenfeld. The Green Bay Area Public School District has almost 60% students on free or reduced lunch, the highest ELL population in the state (20%), and 45% minority . Our student growth has been rising over the years, considering that we have hundreds of kids entering kindergarten only recognizing 0-3 letters or numbers, and unable to hold a pencil. And if our high school students stay in our schools for their four years, we show more than a 90% graduation rate. http://www.gbaps.org/Hot-Topics/Documents/Reform/Growth%20Handout.pdf
This is in spite of being weighed down with mandates and high stakes testing; our staff is working hard.
We want to share with you what is going on in Green Bay, Wisconsin:
http://www.wbay.com/story/20608613/expanded-school-vouchers-expected-to-be-part-of-budget-plan
http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/local/green_bay/governor-stirs-student-voucher-debate
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/viewart/20130117/GPG0101/301170390/Wisconsin-Republican-Ellis-to-push-for-voucher-vote
Needless to say, working in public education in Wisconsin has been a very exciting place to be the past two years. We’ve seen nothing like it. But your blog also lets us know that we are not alone in the insanity. Thank you for standing up for what is right in public education.
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Despite our rival football teams, in this instance, I can say keep fighting! You are lucky to have a superintendent who is willing to fight for your schools. Keep up the good fight.
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CT writers and bloggers are on a roll!
I loved Edushyster’s version: Why is charter math so hard? And with a Barbie, too!
http://edushyster.com/?p=720
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Quoting from one of Amanda’s articles:
“Republican Mike Ellis told The Associated Press he has made it known that he will block any growth of the program without requiring a vote of people in the local school district”
Do you agree? I think he is supporting local control of school districts, but I am
not in WI so I would like to hear your thoughts? I’d also like to hear Dr. Ravtich’s thoughts.
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So is republican senator luther olson who chairs the senate education committee. It certainly is no pledge to stop vouchers, but i see it as at least a buffer that will impede scott walker’s master plan of imposing vouchers on the entire state. I emailed diane and suggested that she post and share her thoughts.
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Dr. Ravitch,
Do you write your thoughts about how to improve “failing” schools in America?
If so, can you point me to where I might read and understand your thinking?
I am a volunteer in-classroom math assistent. I’m retired so I have the time.
Education interests me and how to improve “failing” schools (how to agree on
definition of “failing” is a real issue, in my opinion).
Ed Bradford
Pflugerville,TX
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However the ruling class decides to define “failing” at any given moment, you can bet that the “failing” schools are overwhelmingly filled with poverty. It is a plague. The question is not how do we improve “failing” schools, but how do we improve a failing society that is failing our schools is the question we should be asking. That question is too hard and certainly not politically expedient so the politicians do what they do best; be a politician and manufacture an education crisis and then offer up a solution that manufactures people to vilify, teachers.
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If you haven’t read Diane Ravitch’s most recent book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, you should. Schools are far from perfect, whatever that means, but you need to understand that the debate, as Jim says, needs to be reframed. We, as a society, have social problems that we are not addressing that affect the ability of schools to educate all of our children. We can stick our fingers in the dike, but as we ignore the societal issues, the dike will continue to crumble.
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The only way to improve failing schools is to improve failing neighborhood, and falling wages. The kids need access to doctors, dentists, and the ability to sleep through the night without interruptions from their impoverished drug addicted neighbors & extended families.
They need a school environment, and an after school environment that’s not so impoverished of opportunity that they spend their time shaming each other on Facebook.
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Jim and 2old2tch: yes, and yes. You have succinctly stated the hard truths that the edubullies evade and try to redefine out of existence. I would add that I heartily agree with Diane’s often-stated opinion that in education there are no magic feathers, no silver bullets, no painless and simple panaceas. Making progress toward “a better education for all” will always involve hard work, be messy and trying, and full of never-ending surprises [welcome and unwelcome]. In other words, an education adequate to sustain a healthy democracy.
This is not what edupreneurs pushing eduproducts would lead us to believe. Educators are in their sights because the vast majority won’t buy false elixirs of learning, phony potions of accountability, magical cure-alls for what ails public schools worthy of a functioning democracy. So the edubullies have a very simple solution: get rid of the schools and the educators and then they can work their $uper $succe$$ful hocu$ pocu$ [or so they wish]. And then everyone will be forced to choose between the limited choices they provide—and nothing else.
Funny thing, though, is that on the way to ROI $ucce$$ the charterites/privatizers have encountered a lot of turbulence from something called reality and something else called fair-minded and well-founded criticism.
Democracy, it may not be best system ever invented, but it sure beats all the rest!
🙂
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Well stated
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Here’s a more compelling counterpoint to the Stamford Advocate editorial.
http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Charter-schools-the-right-investment-4211450.php
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