This map shows the school committees that oppose Question 2, which would add a dozen charter schools a year forever, located anywhere in Massachusetts.
https://mobile.twitter.com/SOPublicSchools/status/794242861273350144
The school committees know that creating a dual school system will leech resources from the public schools of their communities. They will have fewer teachers and programs. Charters have not “closed the achievement gap” in any other state or district? Why expand charter schools in the nation’s highest performing state school system?
The vote on November 8 will test whether out-of-state billionaires can persuade citizens to abandon their public schools. Will voters be smart enough to ignore the lies and propaganda pushing privatization of their community public schools? Will they resist the temptation to create a dual school system?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
What do you make of the new study that David Leondhart is touting? I’m all for the public school system, unions, etc., but his argument, while perhaps overly optimistic, seems somewhat convincing.
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Which study is that?
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It’s an MIT study, but I just checked and it’s not that new. It’s actually from January 2016. I’m not sure if you’ve addressed it before. FWIW, I’m on mobile in the subway right now and I’ve only read the Leondhart article.
Study:
https://seii.mit.edu/research/study/academic-version-of-charter-schools-and-the-road-to-college-readiness-the-effects-on-college-preparation-attendance-and-choice/
Leondhardt article:
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Diane
You state “This map shows the school committees that oppose Question 2, which would add a dozen charter schools a year forever, located anywhere in Massachusetts.”
Let me do some calculations as follows:
There are a little over 1800 Public schools in Massachusetts. There are 78 charter schools. If we replace 12 traditional public schools every year with charter schools, half the public schools will be converted to charters in 75 years.
All the public schools will be converted to charters in 150 years. The “for ever” in your statement is limited to 150 years.
Remember it will be year 2166 AD when Massachusetts will have all charter schools.
The question is in 75 or 150 years will anybody alive know about you and the rest of us debating a very small conversion rate?
In my opinion 12 additional charter school a year is indeed a tremendous slow down of charter school growth. This is not a charter promotion, but a serious slowdown of the movement. In 25 years from now Massachusetts will have 16% of schools as charters.
Is this a crisis?
Is this so bad?
How many of the current teachers/people will be around by year 2116? The correct answer for this is none.
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Raj,
Charter W hoops run by distant corporations will replace community schools. That is sad and disruptive and unnecessary. Why introduce privatization when it holds the promise of disruption, with high risk?
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Raj,
You failed your own quiz. The correct answers are:
Yes, a minor one.
Yes, quite bad.
To (mis)quote David Coleman: “Who gives a shit about ‘what ifs’?”
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Raj,
It is not necessary to go all-charter to disrupt the state. A few charters in every district drain resources and high-performing students from public schools, leaving the great majority of students in worse shape, with fewer teachers, budget cuts, program cuts, larger classes. Charters are a dual system and a t like parasites on the larger system.
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