DMA kicking around opening a preschool charter school

Are children victims of failed traditional and charter schools?

Comments under this post Pennsylvania moves towards school vouchers leads to this question; Are children victims of failed transitional and charter schools?

Let be objective!

By victims, I mean students who aren’t being properly educated to at least state standards.

Charter schools in Delaware have operated for the last ten year and I think it time to declare the “experiment” over and make final assessment to what works and what does not.

As we enter yet another round of education reform I think its fair to say education reform has it’s victims. Teachers are also victims because reform agendas forces teachers to comply even if those plans are unproven or obviously flawed. Sadly when reform efforts don’t work its often blamed on ineffective teachers. So when I reference “failing traditional schools” I am not necessarily saying teachers are failing.

When I brought up school vouchers in a previous post those commenting didn’t seem too in favor of them. This comment really made me step back, response to Arthur,  ”Arthur, I agree that children of a failed charter shouldn’t be given vouchers – sorry if I wasn’t clear. They should be returned to their feeder school. If the parent doesn’t want them to attend their feeder school, then the parent can either find another charter or pay tuition for a private school.” This issue isn’t about who said it. The issue is what was said.

The comments suggest that if a student leaves a failing traditional public school for a charter school and if that charter school fails and is closed by the state, the student should just go back to their feeder school or find another charter. But I support a child in this case receives a school voucher equaling the per student cost of the charter school ordered closed. Call it victim compensation.

Then we have those so concerned with issues of separation  of church and state. Point well taken and here is Delaware State Constitution Article X Section 3; “No portion of any fund now existing, or which may hereafter be appropriated, or raised by tax, for educational purposes, shall be appropriated to, or used by, or in aid of any sectarian, church or denominational school; provided, that all real or personal property used for school purposes, where the tuition is free, shall be exempt from taxation and assessment for public purposes.” So technically in Delaware we have a very long way to put in place a school voucher system “unless” it only applied to  no religious private schools.

It obvious with the enactment of the Delaware charter school law traditional schools have failed creating victims (students) whereas it was necessary to create a new type of learning environment call charter schools. I don’t think referring to students of failed schools as victims is far from the truth. Also, if traditional public schools were meeting needs there wouldn’t be the need for school choice. So those parents who Choice their child into another traditional school or district must feel the current school isn’t meeting their child’s needs. When a student doesn’t obtain a seat in another school via Choice the parents starts yelling their child is a victim.

Delaware Governor Jack Markell has been talking tough lately about making sure we only approve great charter schools. However, Jack is just sucking up to teachers unions sowing the seeding for election year 2012. Markell appears to have no remorse when his DEDOE trolls poise themselves to close a charter school. Sure, perhaps we should close charter and trational schools that victimize students. However, in the case of charter school our governor has no plans to address the needs of those students forced out of closed charter schools. I think at best we need to see a state plan that addresses this issue and for sure I will be taking this up with state legislators during 2012 session.