[A NOTE TO READERS:I am posting on a limited schedule for the next week.]
A poll conducted by Education Week found that most educators—including those who voted for Trump—oppose school choice.
Opposition to vouchers is stronger than to charters, but both are opposed.
“Overall, however, charters were viewed almost as negatively as private school vouchers by the educators who participated in the October survey of 1,122 educators conducted by the Education Week Research Center.
“A plurality of those surveyed—45 percent—“fully oppose” charter schools, while another 26 percent “somewhat oppose” them. And 58 percent don’t support using government funds to help students cover the cost of private school, while 19 percent said they “somewhat oppose” vouchers. Meanwhile, about half oppose or “somewhat oppose” tax-credit scholarships, which give individuals and corporations a tax break for donating to scholarship-granting organizations.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I’m a conservative and I certainly do. Vouchers are a scheme and charter schools are downright dangerous. The same politicians that aggressively support charter schools and rake in contributions from them are the same politicians who have heaped expensive mandate upon expensive mandate along with oppressive testing and evaluation regulations on real public schools. Make no mistake about it: Charter schools aren’t public schools. They are corporate schools. Kids are being cheated out of a well rounded education, including a full area of clubs and sports, along with the arts.
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Exactly. Charters & vouchers are recipes for corruption. Children need families with predictable employment that pays living wages, food security, permanent homes, and health care; not charter schools or vouchers.
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Since “educators”, are public employees, and benefit from the existence of publicly-operated schools, it is natural, that they would wish to perpetuate their employment. I do not expect them to favor ending the public-school monopoly. That would be against their own economic interest.
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GO AWAY. When you can’t even talk about educators without including quotation marks, you have no respect, nor do you support, education. I wish Diane would ban you.
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TOW,
I ha e occasionally thought about banning Charles but o don5 because he is an exaggerated representation of the people we need to convince. We can practice our arguments on him. He never listens, which is a lesson for us. But it is useful to keep trying.
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Charles,
Why did you put scare quotes around the word educators. Do you do that to “doctors” and “lawyers”? That’s a mark of profound disrespect. Educators work in both public and private schools. They are underpaid. They dedicate their lives to teaching. They don’t support public schools because of greed and self interest. Nor do I. I have no financial stake in the public schools. Some issues are matters of principal.
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I use the quotations because the definition of “educator” is very elastic. It could mean everything from classroom teachers, to school administrators. I was a curriculum development specialist (textbook writer/developer), so you could stretch the definition, and call me an “educator”. There was no disrespect intended, if anyone reached the (incorrect) conclusion, that the quotation marks were derisive, I apologize.
Sometimes I might use quotes around the word “lawyer”. Abraham Lincoln never attended law school, nor did he pass a bar exam. It is a stretch to call him a “lawyer”, notwithstanding his work in the legal profession. Same for Confederate general Albert Pike.
Although I believe that classroom teachers, should be paid a living wage, I do not necessarily believe that all teachers are underpaid. People make a conscious decision to teach in a classroom, and the salary/benefit package that these people receive is of their own free will. No one is cheated when both buyer and seller reach a mutual agreement.
People who work in publicly-operated schools, from the janitor and the food service worker, to the administrators, and the teachers, should be supporting the institution which employs them. I work at the Pentagon, and I support the military.
No sane person would be in favor of supporting a policy, which would cause them to lose their position, and be unemployed. I completely understand, why public-school employees wish to perpetuate the system which provides for their employment.
And the word is “principle”, not “principle”.
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Chas,
The scare quotes around educator are insulting and demeaning.
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Q There was no disrespect intended, if anyone reached the (incorrect) conclusion, that the quotation marks were derisive, I apologize. END Q
If you choose to take the quotes to be derisive, it is because you choose to do so. I apologize, if you reached that (incorrect) conclusion.
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Chas,
I call you a “computer technician”
The scare quotes mean “so-called”
Are you a “Christian”?
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I have no problem with being called a “computer technician”, I have done this type of work in the past. I have also been a technical editor, and a technical translator. I have done many things in my career.
I choose to keep my religious beliefs private, and not to disclose them. If you want to call me a “Christian”, feel free. You might be accurate, you might not. Your risk, not mine.
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I flubbed it as well. The correct word is “principle” not “Principal”.
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