Comments on: We Are All Charters http://classroots.org/2010/02/25/we-are-all-charters/ Class roots reform for authentic engagement Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:24:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Chad http://classroots.org/2010/02/25/we-are-all-charters/comment-page-1/#comment-1784 Chad Sun, 25 Apr 2010 17:33:26 +0000 http://classroots.org/?p=952#comment-1784 I think you summarize my point brilliantly - whatever we call it, so long as we follow students' learning wants and needs, we are charters or Alberta schools or exemplar learning environments. Certainly public schools can do this. It sounds like you work in a great place that values students' and their learning differences. American public education, as a whole, is in the standardized testing business right now. We have schools that reach kids, both chartered and not, but we also have many schools, chartered and not, that put behavior management, testing, curriculum, standards, and obsolete staffing and scheduling models before individual students. Perhaps the value of charters in the US is in their ability to spur provocative questions and elicit analysis of schools' resistance to change. Please let us know where we can read more on the Alberta model to help advance education down here. Thanks for the comments & questions - please see my tweets to you yesterday about the kinds of things our school can do differently than others in Virginia. Best regards, C I think you summarize my point brilliantly – whatever we call it, so long as we follow students’ learning wants and needs, we are charters or Alberta schools or exemplar learning environments. Certainly public schools can do this. It sounds like you work in a great place that values students’ and their learning differences. American public education, as a whole, is in the standardized testing business right now. We have schools that reach kids, both chartered and not, but we also have many schools, chartered and not, that put behavior management, testing, curriculum, standards, and obsolete staffing and scheduling models before individual students. Perhaps the value of charters in the US is in their ability to spur provocative questions and elicit analysis of schools’ resistance to change.

Please let us know where we can read more on the Alberta model to help advance education down here.

Thanks for the comments & questions – please see my tweets to you yesterday about the kinds of things our school can do differently than others in Virginia.

Best regards,
C

]]> By: Sean Grainger http://classroots.org/2010/02/25/we-are-all-charters/comment-page-1/#comment-1783 Sean Grainger Sun, 25 Apr 2010 16:05:52 +0000 http://classroots.org/?p=952#comment-1783 In Alberta, Canada we call what you describe our Education Plan, submitted in 3 yr cycles and supported with AISI (Alberta Initiative for School Improvement) funding from the Department of Education. So what's the difference? Admittedly, I'm confused... if "we are you" then why is there a need to ID charters as such? To be deliberately provocative, there isn't one thing you mentioned in this post that we haven't replicated within our school district in schools that aren't "chartered." If "we are you," why can't we just refer to your synopsis of charters as "high quality learning environments" and expect that all teaching and learning institutions target the same? In Alberta, Canada we call what you describe our Education Plan, submitted in 3 yr cycles and supported with AISI (Alberta Initiative for School Improvement) funding from the Department of Education. So what’s the difference?

Admittedly, I’m confused… if “we are you” then why is there a need to ID charters as such? To be deliberately provocative, there isn’t one thing you mentioned in this post that we haven’t replicated within our school district in schools that aren’t “chartered.”

If “we are you,” why can’t we just refer to your synopsis of charters as “high quality learning environments” and expect that all teaching and learning institutions target the same?

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