Duncan, charter schools and me

I really have nothing against charter schools. I just don't think they are the salvation of public education.

Arnie Duncan does. Now a look at his record quickly shows his record as CEO of Chicago's public school was less than stellar. His idea of shutting down poorly performing schools (what the heck does that mean?) and starting over as charter school misses the point. The schools are a symptom. I would like to see the schools where this has worked.

Charters over all do about as well as public schools, but when success are cited, very often there is more to the story, like in New York City, where the populations of charters schools do not match those of non-charter public school concerning homeless, ELL and Special needs.

While I am asking, how about adding other items to our international test scores, like health care, teacher planning time and crimes committed by handguns.

Everyone seems to have an idea on what is wrong with education, and what it should look like. Like this Article titled "If We Didn't Have the Schools We Have Today, Would We Build The Schools We Have Today?" And Tapscott points out that someone from the last century would not recognize a modern ER or Airplane cockpit but would fit right in a modern classroom. I am not sure that is a fair comparison, the same person would recognize a bank lobby or restaurant, and while the physical structure is the same, many of the methods of teaching have changed. I am thinking of differentiation, cooperitave learning and megacognition.

But, to play the devils advocate, the materials supporting my geophysical text are are very prescribed and if allI did was teach with them it would be bad.

Should we tear now all our schools and start over. This is misleading questions because it is not going to happen. It is a fun mental excersize, but let talk about what we can do to change what we have.