The Florida Department of Education, firmly in the hands of the Jeb Bush team, tried to spin the “success” of the charter industry, but Sue M. Legg of the League of Women Voters in Florida says, “Not so fast.”
In this post, she explains that charter schools enroll a lower percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, of English language learners, and of students with disabilities.
She asks:
Is the formula for successful charters to weed out students whom they cannot help? Should traditional public schools do the same? Where does this road lead?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education.
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“Where does this road lead?”
Well, in Florida is looks like it leads to public schools being used as the disfavored “default” system that allows the “choice” schools to exist.
But then there’s never any concern for what happens to public schools as a result of reforms. They simply didn’t consider public schools when they launched this. Our schools were so unimportant they weren’t even on the planning agenda.
If I lived in Florida I’d “flee” from public schools myself. Obviously the political classes have completely abandoned them. They have no political representation and no advocates in government. They won’t survive and that’s, of course, the point of this exercise.
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“’Where does this road lead?’ Well, in Florida is looks like it leads to public schools being used as the disfavored “default” system that allows the “choice” schools to exist.”
Tell it, Chiara. And not just in Florida. Taxpayers need to see the schools they are supporting as one system. Steal from Peter to pay Paul? You’re still paying for Peter, too.
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The part that amazes me about ed reform as a political “movement” is that they completely dominate all debate and policy, yet they offer absolutely nothing of value to 90% of schools and students.
That has to be a first. It’s a “movement” about public education that systematically and deliberately either denigrates or completely ignores public schools and public school students.
Every once in a while they mention public schools but ONLY as the indirect beneficiaries of “choice”, in pieces like this one where any public school that improved on any measure did so ONLY because of charter schools:
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/knowledge-bank/articles/2017-05-08/how-charter-schools-improve-traditional-district-education?sf77916096=1
It’s remarkable. We have a huge set of politicians and lobbyists who can only be persuaded to address the schools 90% of kids attend IF it’s incidental to the main topic, which is promoting charters and vouchers.
How did 90% become a disfavored after thought?
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It is easy to see the impact of cherry picking in the statistics. Charters stay clear of the difficult, less compliant and harder to teach. I wish the ELL numbers were further disaggregated as all ELLs are not the same. Knowing how charters operate, I suspect they probably choose bright advanced ELLs that can function very well in English. The beginners and intermediates, with marginal English skills, are likely left for the public schools to educate. When ELLs reach the advanced level, the bright ones will be ripe for charter cherry picking.
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Retired teacher,
The numbers for special ed should be disaggregated too, depending on the level of need. Eva M. says she accepts students with disabilities and cures them. She is undoubtedly accepting children with the mildest LD.
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She “cures” them.
She has an extremely exaggerated opinion of herself.
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All of this charterization of schools as well vouchers are designed to destroy public educaton. Why? CONTROL and PROFITS.
We and our students are being TRACKED, our online data collected for dystopian reasons, and to keep us in check.
http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/former_facebook_exec_claims_the_tech_giant_can_influence_minds_moods_and_el
Everytime, I do anything online, I know I am being tracked … FOR PROFIT and my data is being used not to benefit us, but instead to enslave us.
We live in a world where PROFITS is EVERYTHING, and this goes beyond this country.
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I wish a national teacher union would investigate the Miami Teachers Union (UTD) — it is not a typical Teacher Union … It has Sold out MIAMI TEACHERS FOR YEARSSSS!!!!! UNion contracts pass because non-teachers are part of the union and have a vote on teacher contracts. PLEASE READ —- PLEASE pass on to someone who may be able to help. https://kafkateach.wordpress.com/2017/05/13/the-biggest-losers-in-tallahassees-continuous-underfunding-of-public-schools-are-florida-teachers/
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