Confused by Menino’s Inaugural
By Steve PoftakJanuary 4th, 2010
He hits the right note early on in the speech:
The right bill for our children increases the charter cap, but also provides turnaround capacity for districts in three places: One, the authority to create in-district charter schools. Two, the flexibility to assign the best teachers where they are needed most. And three, the ability to bypass lengthy arbitration at persistently under-performing schools. It’s this combination — the entire mix — that makes good on the promise of education reform in the first place: to help ignite a transformation within districts and bring innovation to scale.
But then goes on to say:
If real reform wins, we can look to a day with one system of education in Boston. When there will be no wasteful feuding on charter versus pilot versus traditional public.
As someone who believes deeply in school choice and the notion that parents should have a range of options for their children, I find the mayor’s vision of ‘one system’ to be contradictory with his earlier objectives.
Entry Filed under: News
3 Comments Add your own
1. Cageylefty | January 4th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Very simple, he wants to raise education at all levels so that there will be no feuding among the options, rather, best practices will be shared and the focus will be on quality education. A bit tough given the flawing funding systems, but a laudable goal.
Bostonians, of course, have choices ranging from public schools, pilot public schools, charters and private schools, parochial schools and for some, METCO.
2. Cageylefty | January 4th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
flawed, not flawing, sorry for the flaw
3. Steve Poftak | January 5th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Agreed that feuding is wasteful, but, from my perspective, the competition from charters and parochials (and even pilots within the district) have made the district school’s better. A vision of a single system would eliminate that competitive pressure.
Oh, and welcome aboard Ward 19 Dems, thanks for participating. (Howard, is that you?
)
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