by Donna Krache, CNN
With recent statistics indicating that more students than ever are enrolled in charter schools, there’s no end in sight to the ongoing debate over which is more effective in educating our kids: Traditional public or charter schools. A newly released report offers potential talking points for both sides.
On Wednesday, the Center for Education Reform issued “The State of Charter Schools.” According to the report, 1,036 of about 6,700 charter schools – about 15% - have “closed for cause” since the first charter law was passed in 1992. Among the major reasons cited for those closures, according to the report, are financial, mismanagement, academic performance, facilities and district obstacles.
Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, called performance-based accountability “the hallmark of the charter school concept,” in the report, but also noted the importance of parental choice: More than 19 million parents “have had public school choices they would otherwise never have had,” according to Allen. This is especially the case for those who do not have the financial means to pay for a private education, she said.
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Here's what the editors of Schools of Thought are reading today:
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Governor’s budget includes $438 million for K-12 education
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell unveiled a 2013-14 budget that includes an additional $2.2 billion for state employee and teacher pensions as well as covering the cost of taking the PSAT for 10th graders.
(Pittsburgh) Postgazette.com: City teachers offered buyouts
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board has approved a plan that would offer buyouts to eligible teachers, but hundreds of layoffs are still expected next year.
EducationNews.org: Math reform hits North Carolina’s Triangle schools
Traditional algebra and geometry may be subjects of the past as Triangle schools adopt courses aligned to the Common Core standards.
Education Week: Devices, devices, devices
Along with cost and capabilities, look at culture and community when weighing your school’s technology options.
Elearnspace: A few thoughts on China and education
Blogger George Siemens shares his thoughts on what he learned from a recent trip to China.