As a fight over charters ends, Jeff Bryant explains in an interview what the state should expect.
A huge fight over charter schools in West Virginia just ended with the governor approving new legislation legalizing the schools for the first time with a limited number allowed to roll out. During the legislature's special session which produced the new law, Jeff spoke to Howard Monroe, a radio talk show host for West Virginia-based Watchdog Network, about pros and cons of charters, the flawed way they're funded, and what the state should be most wary of in legalizing these new schools.
Listen here …
Recent News and Commentary from Education Hotspots Around the Nation:
Missouri: Why many school districts are being set up for fiscal failure ...
In St. Louis, where a locally elected school board is taking control after 12 years of state rule, many of the agents who undermined democratic governance of public schools have not gone anywhere—in fact, they seem more entrenched than ever.
Pennsylvania: A Charter School ‘Dumpster Fire’ Provides an Important Lesson for 2020 Democratic Candidates ...
In the Quaker State the costs of charter schools are potentially bankrupting the whole education system.
Florida: Why Democrats Must Choose Between Teachers and Charter Schools ...
Florida teachers have openly opposed a new law that will force local school districts to share portions of their locally appropriated tax money with charter schools, even if those funds are raised for the express purpose of increasing teacher salaries in district-operated public schools.
To learn more about school privatization, check out Who Controls Our Schools? The Privatization of American Public Education, a free ebook published by the Independent Media Institute.
Click here to read a selection of Who Controls Our Schools? published on AlterNet, or here to access the complete text.
Jeff Bryant is a writing fellow and chief correspondent for Our Schools, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He is a communications consultant, freelance writer, advocacy journalist, and director of the Education Opportunity Network, a strategy and messaging center for progressive education policy. His award-winning commentary and reporting routinely appear in prominent online news outlets, and he speaks frequently at national events about public education policy. Follow him on Twitter @jeffbcdm. |
