CBS News: Charter School Controversy

[Catshrink]

This was a segment on last night's CBS news. It actually mentions the Stanford study that says only 17% of charter students outperform public school students. In all the talk about "success" of charters, they don't mention the fact tht charters cherry pick their students. Missing from these discussions is the fate of special education students.

Joe Klein shows up here, as does Randi Weingarten. Thankfully, Arne and Rhee do not. Klein, as usual, went on and on about teacher accountability but didn't define what he meant - test scores? some other metric? provisions for those who teach sped classes?

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6624852n

[mzteris]

1. Diane RAvitch found fault that Stanford study

and again

Charter public schools do NOT "cherrypicK' they take those who apply and if there are too many - and there USUALLY ARE (and what does THAT tell you??) then there is a BLIND LOTTERY.

And yes, virginia, charters can and do have sped students in their schools. Only guess what? Many times, they discover a student is NO LONG "SPED" because they are getting the individualized attention and/or the mode of instruction they need in order to be successful in the classroom without the label. Funny how that works, isn't it?

aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh .............. now that makes one think a bit... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[noamnety]

2. It always amazes me

that people can simultaneously believe that charters hand pick the best students - and consistently score lower than traditional public school students. You would think at some point they'd recognize some cognitive dissonance with that one.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. As if only students were necessary

Talk about cognitive dissonance. :eyes:

[mzteris]

4. huh? n/t

[FBaggins]

7. I think that P2B's point is that

if you take above-average students and put them in a substandard environment... you can still get poor performance.

The real cognitive dissonance, however, is the automatic assumption that these schools are underperforming (if at all) because of how they differ from non-charter public schools... but if public schools underperform, it's because of the parents. Or put another way, that the test scores mean something when they say what we want them to say... but mean nothing when they don't.

[mzteris]

8. your last sentence . . .

+1000 :thumbsup:

[Catshrink]

6. Just a guess...

or maybe a gloating... The Silence of the Shills.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. It takes more than only good students

We've all seen it. The good students who thrive under one teacher but not under another. Or they do well at one school but not another.

Student achievement is a complex issue that requires a team effort by many stakeholders. Just having capable students is no guarantee of success.

[mzteris]

5. well, you do know that "test scores" are only

valid when they "prove charter public schools" are "bad" or trads are "good".

All other test scores - good charter ones and bad traditional ones - are simply not important.