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We received some reflection recently from one of our organizers in the charter world. It's worth sharing for those interested the role of charters in the traditional neighborhood school model of public education. Please take a few minutes, read and share. #Thread #TwitterTakeover
"A friend yelled to me that his house was on fire. I said, 'Let me help! I have an app to ID a fire department to suit your needs!' He said, 'Thanks, but every fire department should have everything it needs to serve every member of the community."
Schools are the same way.
Schools are the same way.
There shouldn't be a marketplace with winners and losers. Every school should have all the resources needed to serve all members of a community. There aren't good schools/bad schools (the idea underlying charters), but schools that are better or lesser resourced and functioning.
What is a school, but a community of learners, which includes teachers, staff, administrators, families? To call a school "bad" is labeling everyone in this community the same. It's unfair. Especially in majority Black, Brown districts that have suffered for years (like our own).
Charter proliferation has damaged public education because these publicly funded, privately run institutions have removed educator voice. Educators have no formal means to advocate for students unless they organize, and many fear doing so because of retribution and retaliation.
Charter parents also have no Local School Councils (LSCs), or any means of having a democratic voice in how schools are resourced and function. Per @ILRaiseYourHand, "Numerous LSCs have successfully fought for what they deserve. LSCs are essential instruments of our democracy."
Many problems with public ed stem from poverty, disinvestment and neglect, worsened by a growing lack of democratic input from stakeholders, and largely driven by race. Why aren't our suburban counterparts demanding charters? The answer is well-funded, democratic schools.
Charter "choice" is a take-it-or-leave-it false choice for many families that have suffered poverty, neglect and disinvestment for too long.
Real, meaningful choice happens when the people who know students best — parents and educators — have a formal role in school governance.
Real, meaningful choice happens when the people who know students best — parents and educators — have a formal role in school governance.
