The charter school or privatization movement is really a reaction to an inability to fix things. The public schools haven't been accomplishing their mission and have in many places been converted into work programs. The players (boards, administration, faculty, politicians) seem to be incapable of implementing any change, and charter schools were concieved as a way to do an "end run" around the establishment.
Maine has had a successful program of delivering vouchers to parents that allow them to attend the public or private school of their choice for over a century. Unfortunately, vouchers are difficult to implement in the current legal environment, so charters are a compromise solution.
The problem with "the system" in general is that all discussion is around what works for the employees. The teacher's union will violently oppose any measures that threatens or even changes the jobs of its members. Individual teachers are wonderful and dedicated people for the most part -- actually the overwhemling majority of them care deeply about they do, but are fight against the tide.
I think that urban schools have 4 core problems:
- Organization
- Governance
- Methodology
- Structure
Organization - Too many districts with redundant functions and too much administration. Some districts have dedicated staff for things like payroll and accounts payable that be a centralized function.
On the academic side, there are too many chiefs, many of whom have little or no actual responsibility. How many "Directors" does a district like Albany have? (A: Probably dozens)
How do you fix this? Consolidate... have an Albany County School District instead of 25 individual ones.
Governance - School boards have too much power and too little skill. A rural school district that I was involved in had a board that consisted of a custodian, a stay at home mom, a mechanic and a civil servant. They were motivated, caring individuals, but didn't know how to lead an enterprise with a $15 million annual budget and were not prepared for the complex financial, operational and legal decisions that they faced.
Methodology - Kids aren't learning because the methods are flawed. There is no reason why anyone should be unable to read or perform algebra, period. The ciriculumns are constantly being re-designed, but aren't working.
There are people like this guy: http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/underground/index.htm who question the whole notion of the public school system in its current form. Maybe someone should listen to him and at least some of his ideas?
Or maybe the methods used by Catholic schools should be looked at? I know of a free Catholic school in South Chicago that sends 100% of its students, all inner city children who were disruptive in public school, to college.
Structure - Schools should be a part of the community, but the layout of the system prevents that. Bring back small neighborhood, K-8 schools! I think Albany High's current efforts to split up the student population is a great idea, but it could be taken further.
A classroom doesn't have to be an institution. Use smaller buildings or even offices for small, intensive and integrated classes. Bring the kids in once a week for a day of gym and the state mandated classes.
Think outside the box! Google encourages employees to spend 1 day a week on personal projects... radicaly different models can work.
