Charter schools in session despite strike
Source: Chicago Tribune
Leslie Daniels enrolled her son in a Chicago charter school three years ago because she didn't like the education he was getting in his local neighborhood school.
In the back of her mind, she also knew the school was less likely to be affected by labor problems because its teachers are not members of the Chicago Teachers Union. That's an added benefit now that the union has called for its first walkout in 25 years. All of the city's charter schools will remain open Monday.
"I'm glad I made the switch," said Daniels, 55. "I feel for the other parents because a lot of them are working. What are their children going to be doing?"
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-charter-school-strike-20120910,0,3133187.story
Although I don't live in Chicago, but I send my kids to a charter school and I am very pleased with it!
AnneD
(15,774 posts)Public. What we have noticed is that charter schools start rejecting their problem students in March and April. The high stakes tests begin in April, so we take the hit for a kid that has only been in our school for less than a month. Since we are public, we can't really turn kids away.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)Actually, not at all clear that they do.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)it's in their policy handbooks. not to mention plenty of research on the topic.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)And they aren't kicking anyone out. It is a huge success so far.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)hat.
Suji to Seoul
(2,035 posts)I guess supporting the destruction of the best educational system in the world and replacing it with for-profit schools only interested in tests and testing is good for the country.
And you're right. . .until we have a name of this charter school, it's just another parasite.
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)As I said before, my charter school is a public school. It is non profit.
You have not revealed where you teach or where you used to be an administrator, so we'll have to assume you are a parasite, right? No, that would be foolish. It's not a good idea to give out personal info on the internet.
Suji to Seoul
(2,035 posts)Am now the head teacher of the foreign history teacher's department at Nanjing University in Nanjing, China.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)Suji to Seoul
(2,035 posts)Response to Suji to Seoul (Reply #79)
Post removed
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)If you don't believe that my town has an awesome charter school, you don't have to belive it. But we have hundreds of families who are living it. And I don't have firsthand knowledge of other charter schools, but suspect this is happening in many communities all over the US.
roaminronin
(49 posts)How many children with disabilities do you have in your children's school? How many kids that don' t speak English? How many behavioral issues? How many homeless kids?
If you say not many or none at all, they are rejecting students. They take public funds and only take the students that are the easiest to teach, then leave the public schools the rest. That's part of the point of the strike.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)It's a rural town, so we don't have many homeless folks.
AnneD
(15,774 posts)I have had to deal with:
asthmatics
allergies with epi pens
diabetics
colostomy
catheterizations
bipolar
schizophrenia
depression to the point of suicide watch
ADHD
spina bifida
traches with intermittent suctioning
g tube feedings
chemo pre and post
seizures including vasovagal stimulator
cardiac disorders
visually impaired
hearing impaired
abuse both physical and sexual
genetic disorders such as:
Familial autodysnomia can't regulate temp heart rate
Angelman syndrome
Downs
Retts
I had a kid come in with a ventilator but he had to be a 1:1.
Have you seen any kids like that in you school? As a public school we have to accept these children AND provide services for them.
These students are in addition to my 'regular' kids that have temps, strep, injuries, periods, lice and what ever.
Do you have a full time nurse, or just one that comes in several days week. Or is it just the school secretary that gives the meds.
And what about the screenings:vision, hearing, scoliosis, or antes nigrocan (diabetes). Our state requires them of public schools...and this is the red state of Texas.
Suji to Seoul
(2,035 posts)Their nihilistic sociopathic attitudes only care about their own lives.
The school nurses at charter schools don't usually exist because they don't want them. Only the best of the best for the for profit schools so it can be used as a weapon against the public schools.
oldsarge54
(582 posts)Many charters do not accept children with low academic credentials. Secondly, if they turn into a behavior problem, they get removed from charters schools and sent back to public schools. You only hear about it if it is your child in question. Lucky you. When I was a teacher, I got the ones thrown out of charter and private schools.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)Also, my childrens' academic achievement is not "lucky". We work hard at it.
oldsarge54
(582 posts)I was just letting you know what teachers in the profession call creaming, thus leaving the public schools a more difficult environment. I know if your children are doing well you are working hard at it. Successful students are the result of parent involvement in conjunction with school. Perhaps lucky was a poor choice of word, however, enjoy your good fortune.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)We do have the problem that we're getting the better teachers and administrators from the default public schools. That's a problem that will have to be worked out in the coming years.
Bo
(1,080 posts)IT LEADS TO CHICAGO MAFIA MONEY
part man all 86
(367 posts)Charter schools are fool's tools. They kick out the undesirables and pretend to educate when they dummy down our children.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)It's funded by taxes and everyone can attend. And no one gets kicked out.
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)News flash: The net is full of crazies. You should not divulge personal information.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)can't attend your charter school.
And charter schools, in fact, are free to kick kids out. That's one of their supposed benefits.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)When they get money from the government it is usually because they supply some product or service the government has contracted for.
cstanleytech
(26,361 posts)vs the number that go on to graduate from non Charter school? After all the schools doing their job to see that the kids actually do get an education is what matters most right?
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)cstanleytech
(26,361 posts)out of the Charter schools and furthermore how different is it from the number of "undesirables" (your word, not mine) who end up being expelled or just drop out from public schools?
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)Last edited Wed Sep 12, 2012, 06:46 AM - Edit history (1)
the same, 37% worse, 16% better, than comparable public schools (similar student populations). (I'm quoting those stats from memory, the percents may not be right on, but they're close to that).
The statistics also show charters to be more segregated and have fewer students with disabilities and limited english.
The statistics also show charters, on average, have lower retention rates (e.g. if you look at the entering class v. the graduating class, there's significant attrition -- indicating that students are being 'counseled out' or 'kicked out').
I'm not aware of any national or regional comparisons of graduation rates. Graduation rates of individual schools are not a particularly good indication of anything, as they can be juked so many ways. For example, if a school 'counsels out' the worst entering freshmen, leaving only the cream, it will have a high graduation rate. If it offers computerized make-up for truant days (easy to game) it will increase its graduation rate. There are many more.
What charters are for is to give a foot in the door to corporate interests, so they can suck off more tax dollars.
cstanleytech
(26,361 posts)general may well be warranted.
AnneD
(15,774 posts)10 Things Charter Schools Won't Tell You ....
http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/rip-offs/10-things-charter-schools-wont-tell-you/
This makes a wonderful checklist to make sure your school is up to snuff. It points out problem areas.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)I'm basing my decisions mostly on the choices that are available in my town, not what's going on in the rest of the country. And my school is new, so it does not really have graduation statistics yet.
Suji to Seoul
(2,035 posts)What makes the education different at a charter school? Nothing, because education is a long term investment, not a short term achievement on a test.
Charter Schools are sociopathic nihilism.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)They have really good Spanish, music and, most important to me, great science and math. There are also lot of great after school activities and summer programs. League sports are not as well developed as the local traditional schools, but that's not a priority for me.
I also like the progressive character building and discipline policy. That will be a huge help and something I certainly didn't get at my public school.
Also, the uniforms are great. It saves money and helps the kids focus on academics instead of fashion competition.
Suji to Seoul
(2,035 posts)1: So you use your school as a babysitter, since the "after school" programs are good? You like the fact the teachers are "at-will" employees that have to worry minute to minute about their jobs. You like union busting?
2: Your like the character building? Where are you as the parent? Absentee? It's now everyone else's responsibility to raise and build your kid's character. So your "charter school" will have all the responsibility of being your kid's parent, but none of the rights?
3: Uniforms? I fought against this as a principal because I realize that conformity ruins critical thought. I remember old news reels of students in school uniforms when I was an undergraduate. . .they were from the 1930s. I had a hard time understanding them because the narration was in German.
4: Don't these schools do enough damage forcing children to think the same. . .now we want them to dress and act the same?
5: Yes, I was a progressive administrator. This is why I don't do it anymore. I was not an automaton.
Parents like you make education a real pleasure.
I'll quote Rage Against the Machine:
I've got no patience now
So sick of complacence now
I've got no patience now
So sick of complacence now
Sick of sick of sick of sick of you
Time has come to pay...
Know your enemy!
Come on!
Yes I know my enemies
They're the teachers who taught me to fight me
Compromise, conformity, assimilation, submission
Ignorance, hypocrisy, brutality, the elite
All of which are american dreams
In your case, it's not just the teachers. . .but the parents too. Education is dead in America, and parents like you are holding the bloody knife used to stab it in the heart. I weep for the future. I'm glad I'm an expat teaching history and government in an International IB school.
I can teach any way I want.
joeglow3
(6,228 posts)You see it as removing individuality. I see it as removing prejudices, allowing to kids to be themselves without fear of being judged based on the clothes they can afford.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)You don't now me, you don't know my kids and you don't know our school. You make a lot of wild assumptions.
1: So you use your school as a babysitter, since the "after school" programs are good? You like the fact the teachers are "at-will" employees that have to worry minute to minute about their jobs. You like union busting?
No, we don't use the school as a babysitter. My kids go to Lego club for an hour once a week. But there are lots of other clubs and sports after school to for students who want them. Although we don't use it, there is before and after care for working families and single parents or anyone else who needs it.
And for at-will employment, I've been at-will ever since I graduated college nd left the unskilled labor force. It does not really bother me if other people are at-will.
2: Your like the character building? Where are you as the parent? Absentee? It's now everyone else's responsibility to raise and build your kid's character. So your "charter school" will have all the responsibility of being your kid's parent, but none of the rights?
Whoa, whoa, whoa. We work on character building at home all the time. I like that our school has more than just a rules manual; they have a philosophy and a plan so I can be sure that the kids are not running amok when they are away from home. The plan give the teachers lots of leeway in dealing with discipline as long as they follow the guidelines.
3: Uniforms? I fought against this as a principal because I realize that conformity ruins critical thought. I remember old news reels of students in school uniforms when I was an undergraduate. . .they were from the 1930s. I had a hard time understanding them because the narration was in German.
Reductio ad Hitlerum. How very original. It's more important what the students learn and do than what they wear. When I was in school, we all worried about whether we dressed cool enough and people formed into cliques - the metalheads in their concert shirts, the "cool" girls and the latest styles and so on. My kids won't have to worry about our ability to get trendy clothes affecting their school experience.
4: Don't these schools do enough damage forcing children to think the same. . .now we want them to dress and act the same?
News flash: They don't think the same.
5: Yes, I was a progressive administrator. This is why I don't do it anymore. I was not an automaton.
Well, I'm glad you're not an administrator anymore. It apparently was not suited to you.
Parents like you make education a real pleasure.
Thank you! We try hard support our scholars and we work to support our school. Oh wait, maybe you meant that sarcastically. In that case, thank you very much! It's nice to have our efforts appreciated.
I'll quote Rage Against the Machine...
It's funny that you quote a song lambasting bad teachers. The band members grew up around the same time I did. I bet they probably went to a public school with union teachers. Just sayin'.
And you mentioned that you are working at an IB school. Our charter's high school is also an IB school. They've been working on setting up the school for years before the doors even open. I'm really impressed by the dedication the teachers and administrators have.
JHB
(37,166 posts)Uniforms have their pros and cons, but to jump straight to the Hitler Youth card?that just undermines every point you're trying to make.
mwrguy
(3,245 posts)Let those scabs try to cross.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)michreject
(4,378 posts)about those who buy vehicles from companies that refuse to let their workers form a union. And yet there are many on this site who are against the UAW by supporting anti union companies. Teachers included.
When they go on strike, the first thing they yell is solidarity when they stabbed us in the back.
Asian vehicles buyers=scabs
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)ChillZilla
(56 posts)2 out of three (80ish Aerostar, 97 explorer) were total disasters, constantly breaking down and costing huge $$. My Ranger was actually a great truck, until it essentially collapsed in on itself at ~150k. My wife then got an Acura RL (used) and I got a Nissan Frontier (new), and the problems stopped. Both vehicles are awesome.
The Acura is now gone to a friend replaced by a Ford-ish Mazda CX9, which is pretty good, but dents like a teenagers self-esteem.
A product buyer is not a scab, he's an investor. Only a fool throws good money after bad.
rayofreason
(2,259 posts)What nonsense.
I have got two Fords now, but there was a time when Detroit cars sucked, so I bought a used BMW, and it was great. I make no apologies for taking my business elsewhere. I work hard for my money and I'll spend it the best way I think. Anyone who tells me that I need to buy something I consider subpar out of "solidarity" can stick it where the sun does't shine.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)As parents, we are going to make the best choice we can.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Liberals support teachers and public schools.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)Suji to Seoul
(2,035 posts)Maybe you should go to a website that Bill Gates, Eva Moskowitz, Michelle Rhee and Margaret Spellings post at, since they are destroying education too.
You're part of the part. Nihilistic. You will find few friends of charter schools here.
ALL charter schools are public. . .that means they cannot deny entrance, but they do, since all they want is the best. They will tell SPED, LD and PD students to leave because they just care about test scores.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)Our teachers all want to be there. And I'm truly impressed with the dedication they show.
Suji to Seoul
(2,035 posts)Why is the public school so bad? Or do you just like parasites?
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)Mediocre test scores.
Violence.
Not focused on college prep.
Suji to Seoul
(2,035 posts)I teach in China and taught in Korea before where the focus is the test. Students spend 12 hours a day preparing for the Gaokao and not learning. They sleep through class and only care about tested subjects.
Violence: Where are the parents to teach their little princelings and princesses right from wrong? Parents have tied the hands of schools that there can be no effective discipline. Again, schools have all the responsibility of being the parent and none of the rights.
Not focused on College prep. Shouldn't you, as the parent, work with the school to insure this is happening?
Nihilistic parents! Again, you're the reason education is now a race to the bottom.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)You keep saying that I'm nihilistic. I most certainly am not.
Violence - Where are the parents? Who the hell knows? I can't control them and don't want to. If they don't care if their little pricelings and princesses can't be be disciplined and grow up to be burger flippers, I can't stop 'em. I just want a better life than that for my kids. I also don't let my kids play in the street. Some parents do, but that does not seem like a good option.
College prep - I've got two options. Option A is a crappy school that will not prepare my kid for college. Option B is a great school that will. Both cost the same. If I try to change school A, it will take lots of effort and is not guaranteed to work. I only have one set of kids and they only get to go to elementary school once. I'm not going to risk the future.
I try to tell other parents about our charter school at every opportunity. I want as many people on board this revolution as possible. We WILL fix education. It is going to take a long time. There are lots of naysayers, such as yourself, but we'll show them.
And it's ensure, not insure. I'm guessing you didn't ever work in the English department.
Suji to Seoul
(2,035 posts)You're a sociopathic, nihilistic person who only cares about short term gains.
You're the reason Education is terrible.
And until you are working in a classroom, you have no idea what you are talking about.
On ignore permanently. I don't have time to waste debating people like you. People who support sweatshop schools, at-will teachers and union busting, for-profit education as the expense of the greatest public education system in the world.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)I want my kids and the kids of my community to get a good K-12 education. That's 13 years right there. I want that education to benefeit them their whole lives. That's another 80 or so years. We're helping a new school that we want to be around for decades to come.
And for your information, nihilism is "it's all pointless, so I don't care". My attitude is that the future is extremely important and that is why we are making choices for my family. You seem to think that nihilism is people who have different priorities than you.
AnneD
(15,774 posts)but that is not the rule.
I feel that if there are charter schools, they should be run by the teachers....and only the teachers. But they are not. Big business knows that there is money to be made. They (business) are doing to education what insurance companies did to health care.
Think on that.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)There is another high school in the area that has a blended online and in-class model in the area that looks like a chain school. I'm steering clear of that.
AnneD
(15,774 posts)whether it be Charter or Public is that parent take an active part. Want your local public school to be better, get involved. Volunteer. I love seeing volunteers. The can do everything from make copies for the teachers to read stories. We even helped organize several groups that when to Austin to protest the draconian cuts to education. We can protest and lobby all day long, but when the parents are with us, the reps sit up and take notice.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Last edited Thu Sep 13, 2012, 01:51 PM - Edit history (1)
joeglow3
(6,228 posts)Can I not be "amazing" at my job?
ChillZilla
(56 posts)I didn't realize Union membership was a qualification for high job performance.
hack89
(39,171 posts)Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)I feel left out! : )
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)I was a fucking idiot.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)My school has non union teachers and they are amazing teachers. There are thousands of dedicated teachers both in unions and not in unions.
MrSlayer
(22,143 posts)For-profit, privately owned and taking tax money that should be going to public schools. Right wing engineering at its worst.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)FSogol
(45,595 posts)If you think professionals teaching your kids should make less than the local bartender, more power to you.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)FSogol
(45,595 posts)for you during the strike.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)Occulus
(20,599 posts)and no, you don't.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)You want me to home school?
sofa king
(10,857 posts)But a bad education is still worse than none at all.