Assassin re charter schools, a few months ago we decided

[Islandman]

to enter my daughter in a charter school lottery, not expecting anything but figuring we had nothing to lose. Well it turns out she won a spot but we have to decide by tomorrow if we are going to accept it.

I am leaning towards taking it although i wish I had more time to seriously think it over. From what we have heard it is one of the charter schools that does work very well. Worst case if it doesn't work out I guess we put her back in the public school she is in now. It is not a bad school really but I didn't think she was being challenged much.

I will let you know how it goes. I have to say this really is an arbitrary way of giving children a better educational choice. Common Entrance/GSAT is bad, a lottery is worse. Anyway me will go claim me lottery ticket, what dem say don't hate the player hate the game .

[Assasin]

Thanks for the info. Let me know how it go. Congrats. Let me know if the teaching any better or if them continue asking for money too.

My sons started back school last week. Very happy with the teachers they have. I have an admin friend at the school who rated one of the teacher the best in the school who is about to retire and the other one have all her class on the AR reader gold list every year. Never been able to judge a charter school from the inside so it would be interesting to see the difference.

[Islandman]

Yes it will be interesting. One thing I learnt already by looking at the documentation they sent is that parents MUST volunteer a minimum of 20 hours per school year to re-enroll for the next year.

But if it is mandatory then is not volunteering then, lol.

[HL]

I have no experience in this area...but from the info. i have gleaned on Charter schools--it appears to be a good thing.

Go for it Islandman....there's much to gain--nothing to lose.

[Assasin]

I don't think all of them are good. I think there are some good ones and some bad ones too but hopefully I-man will at least have a good experience to share with us.

[Islandman]

I think overall charter schools are a good thing because it gives educators the opportunity to implement programs and standards which they would never get the opportunity do in the public school system. As Assasin said not every charter school is good, that should be expected as not every new idea or concept works well when implemented.

For example I don't know if you are familiar with the Kipp schools, (http://www.kipp.org/about-kipp) which have developed a good reputation for excellence among underprivileged students.

What should happen ideally is that the bad charter schools should be shut down if they are not producing after they are given a reasonable period of time to do so. The ones that work should be learnt from, duplicated, and the proven concepts eventually introduced into the general public school system.

Unfortunately that will probably never happen. Way too much politics in public education.

[MdmeX]

Yes it will be interesting. One thing I learnt already by looking at the documentation they sent is that parents MUST volunteer a minimum of 20 hours per school year to re-enroll for the next year.

But if it is mandatory then is not volunteering then, lol.

LoL -- have too many dead beat parents. My grandson used to attend one of those such schools where volunteering was mandatory. Did not matter to his mom though for she was head, cook and bottle washer -- and still is.