Reply to 900 Carjackings in DC this year!!!

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Regarding DC schools, which, yes, have more money thrown at them than any school system I've ever seen, mostly to dismal results...

The lottery system and its subsequent churn waste so much money. Charter schools and the structures that have spring up supporting them waste more. Take a look at the rates at which lower income kids change schools, at faculty retention numbers. Instead of blaming parents, figure out how someone working 70 hours weeks and more than one job can also have the means to supervise their family. [/quote]

I agree that public education could be endlessly "looked at" in DC and is a huge mind *. However, public charters did more for our city than anything else to galvanize public schools to be more 'competitive'.  What we need is specialized public or public charter schools to divert the really difficult children to, rather than 'inclusion for all', including chair-throwing Johnny. KIPP gets a bad rap from the charter-haters, but its longer school day serves a portion of the population really well. We'd be at a loss without KIPP. More specialization, not less.[/quote]

I think Kipp is one of the best charters. We don't disagree about its positive outcomes.

But "competition" as a model for education is some bs. Why are you accepting that some kids get to end up at failed models? How is that equitable? What I saw with my friends' kids was endless church to lottery into the "right" charters, with right mostly being determined by their cultural and socioeconomic status. I saw bright, amazing kids attend four different elementary schools. I saw plenty of affluent families decamp to the suburbs. I saw families with SN kids get counseled out of their charters. I saw so many kids fall through the cracks, end up at charters who closed a year or two later and then back into the system they went.

The idea of school systems "competing" for students isn't efficient. It's basically grafting a zero sum outcome onto public education. It's profiteering. It's vulture capitalism. And anyone who says differently has their beak in the pie. [/quote]

So you'd like there to be one newspaper that serves up the same drivel? Competition is everything, and they are both public schools. Some of these charters failed because they were serving "the hardest kids" and charter requirements in DC are beyond stringent. Much more so than regular public with the 40-60 percent truancy rates.  Where are those kids now? F*-ing up your kids classroom, or on the streets. Think about it. Glad we can agree on KIPP at least. [/quote]

If you're not aware of why competition doesn't work in education (or healthcare) I suspect it's because you've always been the beneficiary of some weighted dice. I mean, of course you have. That's why you think competition is fine and dandy. You think you come from a family of "winners."

Me, I was raised to think everyone should have access to the same educational benefits tracked and tailored according to their needs. Other kids aren't messing up my kid's classroom, and she goes to a high-poverty school you wouldn't set foot in. Children who deserve a chance to learn how nice it is to learn. It's your typical white people DC chargers who counsel those nine years olds out for "behavior." And that's a problem because where do they go?

I'm tired of people who've learned to game the system acting like they've gotten something for merit. [/quote]

I'm a teacher and a parent, and I'm fine with public, public charter, and even gasp, parochial and independent schools co existing. Not to mention specialized schools as well. But  fall on your sword. It's always refreshing to see folks who put their money (in your case) kids where their mouth is. Three cheers for true believers![/quote]

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