with a full big thumbs up from the union Green Dot, a charter school that has met nothing but criticism from Los Angeles where they have originated from.
Why would the Union be in favor of a charter school coming in and take up space in an already established over crowded school? I thought the union was pro teacher. How can that be if they would allow teachers to have to take on an extra burden of teaching in a large class. Especially in a High School. NYC Educator and Norm at EdNotes have been blogging about this issue for some time now and it does not seem favorable for our students to be placed in a Green Dot school. BUT our Mayor does not seem to care what happens to teachers, time and time again he proves that he just does not have a firm grasp on the realities of Charter Schools and that they really do not bode well for our students.
An ever increasingly large overturn of staff, who are not valued at the schools, but why should they it is just a business after all.
Showing posts with label charter schools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charter schools. Show all posts
Friday, June 29, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Small class size prevails again
The reading and math scores are in. Scores fell but only because we let those pesky ELL students screw it all up. Sheesh Joel can you find blame with everyone else but yourself and YOUR policies.
All except this magnificent school Grand Concourse Academy Charter School, where the whole, that's right folks the whole 4th grade passed the exam. 93.1% scored a 3 and 6.9% scored a 4. While those numbers are impressive, lets get to the heart of this story. The student teacher ratio is 14:1. That is a great student to teacher ratio. You see Joel, Mike are you listening? If the rest of our students had the same student to teacher ratio, all of our children would be scoring a 3 or a 4. But that can only happen in a charter school, correct?
Since the teacher (Jabari Sims) who was highlighted in the Daily News article is quoted as saying
Only 10% of the current fourth-graders were at grade level upon enrolling in school when it opened three years ago at E. 169th St.
"We received students who were poorly educated elsewhere," said Principal Ira Victor, who grew up around the corner from the Bronx school. "They came in barely knowing their letters."
The part about 10% reading upon grade level I do find believable. Could have been the over sized classroom they were in prior, and the limited amount of resources they were able to receive in their former schools.
I am still against Charter's as they take away from existing schools.
What I am not against is the small class size ideology. That is always the prevelent issue in all of the charter success stories.
Jane and John in the new charter school _______________ are doing so well in the class of 14. It is always some ridiculously small number, unlike the rest of the children that ARE LEFT BEHIND.
No child left behind my eye.
All except this magnificent school Grand Concourse Academy Charter School, where the whole, that's right folks the whole 4th grade passed the exam. 93.1% scored a 3 and 6.9% scored a 4. While those numbers are impressive, lets get to the heart of this story. The student teacher ratio is 14:1. That is a great student to teacher ratio. You see Joel, Mike are you listening? If the rest of our students had the same student to teacher ratio, all of our children would be scoring a 3 or a 4. But that can only happen in a charter school, correct?
Since the teacher (Jabari Sims) who was highlighted in the Daily News article is quoted as saying
Only 10% of the current fourth-graders were at grade level upon enrolling in school when it opened three years ago at E. 169th St.
"We received students who were poorly educated elsewhere," said Principal Ira Victor, who grew up around the corner from the Bronx school. "They came in barely knowing their letters."
The part about 10% reading upon grade level I do find believable. Could have been the over sized classroom they were in prior, and the limited amount of resources they were able to receive in their former schools.
I am still against Charter's as they take away from existing schools.
What I am not against is the small class size ideology. That is always the prevelent issue in all of the charter success stories.
Jane and John in the new charter school _______________ are doing so well in the class of 14. It is always some ridiculously small number, unlike the rest of the children that ARE LEFT BEHIND.
No child left behind my eye.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Mayor Mike on Charter Schools
I am all for Charter Schools yes siree, I changed my mind. I think every school should be a charter school. Mayor Mike told me so many times that Charter schools are what the parents want. I am a parent so therefore I want a Charter School. I have been brainwashed, I am no longer Pissed Off since Mayor Mike told me that Charter Schools will cure all the ills that the DOE and our children face, I believe it to be true. I heard it so many times I am starting to believe the hype. NOT.
I am getting sick of Mayor Mike and his bullying ways. How dare he say he is going to single out elected officials who he sees as obstacles to Charter Education. I applaud them and I stand behind them. He defends him remarks by saying they don't stand behind the parents. But, but, but, Mayor Mike they ARE standing behind the parents. The Parents that want the DOE fixed. Not fixed with your half baked reforms. The Parents that want all of our children to receive the education that they deserve not a chosen few. It is a real shame that this Mayor just can not see it.
NOW this is where I get redundant (Mr. Pissed Off said I need to because the Mayor is) The Mayor and his friends were fortunate to give their children a Private Education. The reason for this is because they saw the system as flawed. Instead of trying to fix the system and umm put their money where their mouth is, the chose to give their children an education that the rest of us just can't.
Oh wait I did it to but only because I had no choice. But Mrs. Pissed Off isn't that what Charter School's are all about, people that have no choice? In theory yes. But should it be the last resort option? No, and it would not have to be an option if the Mayor and his friends can just open there eyes and see what our children truly need. They need what their children had.
Yes I know there is no room to do it in existing schools but like I said before (oops there is that redundancy) stop letting developers build with big tax breaks. Start making them pay to build schools. Oh, then the developers won't build. This is NYC, people want to live here and the more that come the more children they have, the children need to be educated and the schools need to be built, and not on Toxic Dump sites either. Mayor Mike, would you send your child to a school built on a Toxic Dump site? No, I didn't think so.
I am getting sick of Mayor Mike and his bullying ways. How dare he say he is going to single out elected officials who he sees as obstacles to Charter Education. I applaud them and I stand behind them. He defends him remarks by saying they don't stand behind the parents. But, but, but, Mayor Mike they ARE standing behind the parents. The Parents that want the DOE fixed. Not fixed with your half baked reforms. The Parents that want all of our children to receive the education that they deserve not a chosen few. It is a real shame that this Mayor just can not see it.
NOW this is where I get redundant (Mr. Pissed Off said I need to because the Mayor is) The Mayor and his friends were fortunate to give their children a Private Education. The reason for this is because they saw the system as flawed. Instead of trying to fix the system and umm put their money where their mouth is, the chose to give their children an education that the rest of us just can't.
Oh wait I did it to but only because I had no choice. But Mrs. Pissed Off isn't that what Charter School's are all about, people that have no choice? In theory yes. But should it be the last resort option? No, and it would not have to be an option if the Mayor and his friends can just open there eyes and see what our children truly need. They need what their children had.
Yes I know there is no room to do it in existing schools but like I said before (oops there is that redundancy) stop letting developers build with big tax breaks. Start making them pay to build schools. Oh, then the developers won't build. This is NYC, people want to live here and the more that come the more children they have, the children need to be educated and the schools need to be built, and not on Toxic Dump sites either. Mayor Mike, would you send your child to a school built on a Toxic Dump site? No, I didn't think so.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
The Mayor hears the Parents
Mr. Bloomberg hears the Parents. He hears that the Parents want Charter Schools. He was lobbying hard for Charter Schools saying that is what the Parents want.
I being a Parent will tell you what I want, and some other parents that I have conversations with. While we are at it lets throw in a teacher or two.
1) We would like to see smaller class size. With an experienced or inexperienced teacher . The only way to become experienced is to teach, and to teach in a class of 16 instead of a class of 36 will help you to become experienced.
2) We would like you to hear all of us. You know the real parents. Not just the parents that nod their heads and say you go for it Mayor Mike you da man.
3) We want NEW SCHOOLS. Lets start with New High Schools since High Schools are the most overcrowded.
4)We want you to stop experimenting with our children. They are not lab rats they are human beings who deserve to be educated to help run our society in the coming years. There really are not enough service jobs for all of the students, some of them do need to be able to run the City when you are no longer Mayor.
And lastly
Stop speaking for me, telling me that I am not a real parent. What defines a real parent anyway Mayor Mike I truly would like to know your definition of it.
I like every other New Yorker pay my taxes (and plenty of them) with the paying of my taxes I get to have a voice. The only problem is how to get you to hear it.
I being a Parent will tell you what I want, and some other parents that I have conversations with. While we are at it lets throw in a teacher or two.
1) We would like to see smaller class size. With an experienced or inexperienced teacher . The only way to become experienced is to teach, and to teach in a class of 16 instead of a class of 36 will help you to become experienced.
2) We would like you to hear all of us. You know the real parents. Not just the parents that nod their heads and say you go for it Mayor Mike you da man.
3) We want NEW SCHOOLS. Lets start with New High Schools since High Schools are the most overcrowded.
4)We want you to stop experimenting with our children. They are not lab rats they are human beings who deserve to be educated to help run our society in the coming years. There really are not enough service jobs for all of the students, some of them do need to be able to run the City when you are no longer Mayor.
And lastly
Stop speaking for me, telling me that I am not a real parent. What defines a real parent anyway Mayor Mike I truly would like to know your definition of it.
I like every other New Yorker pay my taxes (and plenty of them) with the paying of my taxes I get to have a voice. The only problem is how to get you to hear it.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Parent's love charter schools
or so says today's Daily News Opine. Supposedly we love charter schools because we apply to them in droves. Yes parents do apply to charter schools.
The same parents that are desperate for their children to have some sort of decent education because they can not afford a private one. This goes back to unfair funding, shortage of teachers, large class sizes but you have read this here before. I hate to sound redundant.
It also has a lot to do with No Child Left Behind. Every child is left behind with this government mandate. As it is good in theory it stinks otherwise. Another reform without the money to back it.
I have seen the results of transfers from NCLB in our elementary school. The children are moved over, the are in need of services. The schools support team is already over taxed but they need to take in the 4 children, Georgie said so. So once again the children are short changed because now the resource room teacher has additional children in the room and the small class that she was supposed to have has now turned into just another classroom where the children are not getting the support they need.
Lets try to find an incentive to attract teachers into the system instead of making them run to the suburbs. Then the other chips will fall into place.
The same parents that are desperate for their children to have some sort of decent education because they can not afford a private one. This goes back to unfair funding, shortage of teachers, large class sizes but you have read this here before. I hate to sound redundant.
It also has a lot to do with No Child Left Behind. Every child is left behind with this government mandate. As it is good in theory it stinks otherwise. Another reform without the money to back it.
I have seen the results of transfers from NCLB in our elementary school. The children are moved over, the are in need of services. The schools support team is already over taxed but they need to take in the 4 children, Georgie said so. So once again the children are short changed because now the resource room teacher has additional children in the room and the small class that she was supposed to have has now turned into just another classroom where the children are not getting the support they need.
Lets try to find an incentive to attract teachers into the system instead of making them run to the suburbs. Then the other chips will fall into place.
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