WONDERING ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS?

Here’s some information (from The New York Times - More Scrutiny for Charter Schools in Debate Over Expansion by NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and JENNIFER MEDINA, May 25, 2010) that might help shed light on the issue:

Charter school advocates argue that the freedom from traditional rules enables them to make major improvements. But that same freedom can present problems: a review of public documents shows that many charter schools in New York have spent money in questionable ways and have experienced significant conflicts of interest.

The documents, including New York state Education Department reports, federal tax filings and audits of charter schools prepared by outside firms, were obtained by the state teachers union, and provided to The New York Times, which corroborated the data. Teachers unions have traditionally been sharply critical of charter schools, whose teachers usually are not unionized.

The problems underscore what many critics say is a weak system in New York for policing spending by charter schools, which are publicly financed but

privately run.

Furthermore...

Even as the Obama administration promotes charter schools as integral to its education agenda, the inspector general in the federal Education Department has raised concern about growing accusations of financial fraud at schools around the country. In some cases officials in charge of overseeing charters have reauthorized schools even after finding significant evidence of financial mismanagement.

(Schools) could not explain to investigators’ satisfaction how the board had determined the salary of its chief executives.

.....officials have found, charters entered into complex and eyebrow-raising transactions to secure space, which most charters, unlike traditional schools, must obtain on their own.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

I believe after school programs can provide the answer to improving, even fixing, our poor public education system. Teachers do not have the resources to teach our children well during the regular school day. They cannot teach all that they must to twenty plus students. In after school programs we are able to finish what the teachers begin. We enhance the student’s experience with learning. Sometimes we can even save children from falling behind in their grade.

Children learn at different rates and in different ways. In elementary school some learn to read quickly and some don’t. Teachers don’t have the time to tailor lessons or homework for each child. Teachers cannot even pay extra attention many times to a child that needs it. Often a child just doesn’t understand something fundamental to the lesson but the teacher cannot address them personally.

After school programs can address these issues. After school programs can boost the children lagging behind by making sure they understand the teacher’s lesson of the day, make sure the student stays caught up to the rest of the class and the grade. We can also identify children who should be held back because they are too young or immature in their development to go to the next grade.

In this way after school programs could become the solutions to public educations woes. We could ensure that all children achieve their best, that schools can manage their resources more effectively and that our school system can begin to repair its severe failings.

I would like to be a part of this very important and possibly pivotal mechanism, After School Education, by which we can repair our public education system.