The Star reports today that there have been 10 more charter schools approved.
It's interesting that the two main reasons charters and school choice are promoted publicly are that they are "better" than the public schools and they are"cheaper."
Well, the last two major studies have shown that charters are no better than public schools academically when demographics and social economic status are taken into account. In other words - compare apples to apples.
And, the September 2006 Indiana Department of Education report titled, "General Fund Summary of Expenditures" shows that 8 of the 10 most expensive Indiana schools on a per/pupil expenditure basis are all Charter Schools.
The highest is the KIPP Indianapolis College Preparatory School at $14,370 per pupil.
In 2005 Wawasee Schools was $5,819 per/pupil.
However, one good thing about how Indiana has implemented charter schools is that they have to abide by the same accountability rules, they just get more freedom in hiring and curriculum areas.
Given that, Let's just give public schools the same freedom as charters.
Nah - that doesn't fit the real agenda that undergirds the conservative movement that fuels the public school choice and charter agenda - limiting the political clout of the NEA.
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2 comments:
Coservative is an awfully big generalization. All of us who are conservative aren't in favor of charters -- and some who are in favor of charters, I guarantee, are very liberal!
I will agree with you there. The words "Conservative" and "Liberal" are used as labels and have become almost meaningless without further explanation. I think I was a little sloppy on that one. When I used the word "conservative" in that sentence I was referring to the wing of the Republican party in particular - that has been on a voucher/charter/school choice rant for some time.
I always thought I was a conservative - until recently.I find myself at odds with both parties on different issues.
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