Comment on Most Charter Schools are Public Schools in Name ONLY

Most Charter Schools are Public Schools in Name ONLY | gadflyonthewallblog

This post outlines the entire fallacy behind the charter school movement. It was sold to the citizens based on the "laboratory school" promise that never to this day has been fulfilled. It was a lie and the charter school advocates that backed the concept are simply liars. The only purpose for charter schools is to inch Michigan and other states closer to vouchers and the destruction of our public school system.

The only reason.

"They don’t teach like public schools, they don’t spend their money like public schools, they don’t treat students or parents like public schools – in fact, that’s the very reason they exist – to be as unlike public schools as possible.

"Advocates claim charters exist as laboratory schools. They are free to experiment and find new, better ways of doing things. Once they’ve proven their successes, these improved practices will eventually trickle down to our more traditional houses of learning.

"At least, that’s the ideal behind them. But to my knowledge it’s never happened.

"As a public school teacher, I can never recall being at a training where charter operators taught us how to do things better with these time-tested strategies. I do, however, recall watching excellent co-workers furloughed because my district had to meet the rising costs of payments to our local charters.

"Moreover, if the freedom to experiment is so important, why not give that privilege to all public schools, not just a subset?"

Think of this: Before the charter hoax (and it's wicked step-sister, school choice), the Detroit Public School system was solvent and one of the best big-city school districts in the country. Charters, choice and yes, white flight, turned the tide.

"The charter school movement that started as a dream of a few starry-eyed liberals who thought they knew more about how to teach children than did professional educators. The movement has now been co-opted by Educational Management Companies. These companies bribe politicians and dodge state laws with phony non-profit foundations that have set their sights on tax monies collected for public schools. My own half-time home state of Arizona has long been a leader pointing the way toward everything that is wrong with the charter school movement." ~ Gene V. Glass

And the lemmings who call themselves citizens have bought into the charter school hoax hook, line and sinker.