Louisiana educators have joined in unison to endorse a bill to permit parents in failing charter schools to return their school to public control.
Two-thirds or more of the Recovery School District charters are graded D or F.
This is a bold recognition that charter schools are not a silver bullet. They are most successful when they exclude the neediest children.
Hey, folks, could we agree to stop using the term “parent trigger?” After Newtown, it is an obscenity.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Another Board of Education speaking up. Woo-hoo!
http://www.averillpark.k12.ny.us/News/BOEResolution_StandardizedTesting.htm
The term “parent trigger” is an obscenity. And the practice is a different kind of obscenity.
Diane – Any evidence for the assertion that charters are “most successful when they exclude the neediest children?”
What’s your definition of “neediest?” Low income? Limited English speaking? from troubled neighborhood? There are great examples of successful charters (and district schools) serving these youngsters.
Students with disabilities. When charters cant cherry pick students they are less than impressive on average.
I don’t think too many people would argue with you about the wording of the parent “trigger”. In California, it’s officially called the Parent Empowerment Act. Empowerment is a much nicer word, but in actuality, that’s exactly the opposite to what happens. So, what we need is a new word. How about Parent Giveaway Act? Or how about Parent Disenfranchisement Act”? Here’s another good one…..”Parent Capitulation Act”.
After all, even though the word “trigger” does express the discharge of a weapon which is sadly very descriptive of the law’s real intent to kill, main, or otherwise render public education powerless, the other substitute words above better explain the actual outcomes.
Perhaps others may come up with even better suggestions.
I love it!!!!
This in from LFT:
Reverse parent trigger bill advances
A bill that would allow parents of failing Recovery District Schools to petition for return to the local school district won the approval of the House Education Committee.
Under current law, schools that are rated as failures for several years can be taken over by the state Recovery School District. However, a number of schools that were seized by the state have continued to show no improvement, and many parents want a way to return control of the school by the local school system.
HB 115 by Rep. Ted James (D-Baton Rouge) would allow parents of a majority of the school’s students to sign petitions returning their school to local control if that school has been graded “D” or “F” for three consecutive years under management of the RSD.
The bill, which is part of LFT’s legislative agenda, will move to the House floor for a vote.
A slap in the face to Jindal and White.
This is the kind of stuff I love. That is turning their own game on its head with their own rules. Now we are talking. Great conceptual thinking people in Louisianna. You have been thrown enough rotten fruit so to speak. They had to have had this destructive plan in place long before Katrina happened. No one could put together this kind of plan while that destruction was happening. They think long game not short.
LAUSD invented the term “Parent Trigger” and the State renamed it “Parent Empowerment.” In California by the laws and rules and regulations if parents are tired of a rotten school with a rotten school district with bad board members and a terrible superintendent who will not listen to the public not only the corporate privatizers can “Pull the Trigger” but the parents, students, teachers and community can on their own also do it. Now teachers say they want to be able to do what they know how to do and parents want to be listened to and community also. If so, what is wrong with just as in Louisianna they are reversing their own laws on themselves. An old as the hills maneuver. This is politics for big stakes. This is not a nice guys game right now. They want it all. So do them with their own rules as there is no other way.
So, if you want to take our your anger at that term I advise writing Deasy and Garcia at LAUSD and thank them for their help.
I must have missed this post — glad I noticed it buried in my e-mail pile.
We have a great opportunity here. We need to keep sniffing in order to detect and expose ANY of the reformy crowd who have been pushing “parent choice” who might in any way financially or otherwise oppose this actual parent movement. If Broad, Gates, or the Waltons give one thin dime to oppose what these parents are fighting for, then their hypocrisy needs to be called out and exposed for the world to see.
I think they realize that people will be watching for it, so they’re going to try to be slippery about it. But I also think they won’t be able to resist opposing this bill. Lets keep our eyes peeled.
If there is a strong public school choice program available to families. I don’t think states need a “parent trigger” law. One of the values of providing options to families is that they can send youngsters to another school without going to the enormous amount of strife some of you have documented in parent trigger situations.
If there is going to be a parent trigger law, it should be available to families whose children attend all public schools.
Joe, apparently your logic has been missed by the “big boys” of corporate education reform, as their money has gone to support parent trigger laws. However, you do provide some insight into the backpedaling rhetoric we can expect to hear from them if/when they are caught opposing the bill being presented by actual parents in Louisiana who are trying to undo the damage they helped bankroll. Thanks for that.
Joe Nathan,
You are apparently unaware that the school choice movement has been taken over by rightwing ideologues and for-profit entrepreneurs who want to ransack and destroy public education. Glad you are not one of them, but they are running entire states, like Michigan, North Carolina, Louisiana.
Diane there are many school choice movements. There are alternative schools (serving students who have not succeeded in traditional schools); magnet schools, schools within schools, chartered public schools, tuition tax deductions and credits, and vouchers.
There are many who believe in some of but not all of these strategies. I’m one of them, but there are plenty of others.