For profit Charter Schools should sound just as disgusting as for profit health Insurance Co.s do!..

[busterbrown]

For God's sake, everyone should start getting involved at their local level to
prevent the free market solution from destroying our educational system.

This article is a good start. Short but to the point!


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/reports-on-charter-schools-expose-new-problems/2011/10/31/gIQAcMye3M_blog.html

[RepublicansRZombies]

1. Acceptable budget cut- For profit schools waste money paying rent, private sector NOT saving money

NOT educating children better so how the hell are they even getting away with this?

If the American people don't start calling the shots, the corporations will take over everything. The government will give them all our tax dollars and they will still blame us for the debt.

[silhouete2]

2. They are getting away with it

because they are demonizing teacher unions and public schools--and they are cherry picking scores and effectiveness of charters. By being vague--and discrediting the other side so their concers aren't valid--they get away with it. People are so bulldozed by what a charter school really does, they are easily swayed. My friends have been convinced that the public schools do nothing for kids--and those comparisons between the US and Asian countries MUST be correct becuase the media says so--they are all for charters. They are also all for getting rid of crappy teachers, who apparently ONLY exist in poor areas becase of low test scores. They also want THEIR child to go to school with other kids who care about school. Those kids who cause problems, the paretns who don't care, don't deserve to be in their school. The whole--I want what's mine, screw you--get your own--argument is alive and well in our society. It's not just education, it's about health care, social safety net programs etc. You scew the message, then sweep in and reap the benefits of a confused group of people. Promise pie in the sky rewards, and they are all yours.

[RepublicansRZombies]

5. on every one of these issues it comes down to the corporate media-they are the ones dividing

People are so easily manipulated by the TV, who are just openly serving greedy bastards who want all the government money siphoned in their direction while they point the finger and blame us for too much spending.

[liberal_at_heart]

8. there getting away with it because dems let the republicans set the narrative

Our education system is completely broken. It is failing our students. We have a dismal drop out rate. We have dismal standings in the world. The democrats have been ignoring the issue for years. Republicans saw their chance to be the first ones with an idea on how to fix it. It is the wrong idea but it is an idea. If we want to be able to say hey their idea is wrong we have to have an idea ourselves. It's kind of like healthcare. The democrats were the first ones with an answer for that problem. The only solution the republicans ever had was repeal Obamacare. When asked how they would fix it they had no answer. The status quo was their answer. We cannot let the status quo be the answer. We have to come up with a solutions to fix our failing education system or the republicans will. They already are.

[silhouete2]

13. I'd LOVE to be involved in the discussion about fixing education

I'd LOVE to point out how our education funding is so unequal and that schools in poorer areas always get screwed. I'd LOVE to point out that UNTIL we deal with the socio-economic inequalities in this country, education will never change. The poorer kids will always get screwed. And the richer suburbs will always put up the NIMBY excuse. I'd LOVE to show politicians what effective teaching looks like. I'd LOVE to be a part of that conversation--but they NEVER let us teachers in on the discussion. We are told what to do by people who have NO idea what they are talking about. Our districts are being led by people who have NEVER set foot in a classroom. They are graduates of business model programs (my district is one of those). They don't' want teachers in on the conversation because we point out all the things that will take time and effort to fix--nothing easy. That's why they demonize us--try to discredit us so no one will believe what we say--we are just lying to protect our jobs and keep our union strong etc., etc. And with the American attention span at the level of gnats, and the belief that quick fixes solve everything, we probably never will fix it properly for it to matter. Meanwhile, more and more Americans slip below the middle class level and that adds to the problem. But what do I know? I'm just the teacher.

[Initech]

3. Anything for profit sucks. Schools, prisons, police, you name it.

Remember - had we elected Rmoney you could have expected the whole damn government to be privatized. Now that Obama has been reelected we can't completely stop these douchebags from destroying the government as we know it but we can slow them down.

[mzteris]

4. May I add one thing. . .

Please don't confuse for profits with local non-profit charters. They can be and are wonderful additions to communities.

Charter structure is directly tied to how the state regulates the programs, and from their to how each district administers it. If it's a badly structured regulation, then you'll have badly run programs that allows for the greedy bastards to prey upon those who need the programs most. And in the process give ALL charters a bad name.

[jody]

6. What a brilliant observation! We need to apply that to all businesses and eliminate profits.

Of course taxes would be abolished since they come out of profits and with that all the services government provides with those taxes but society would be rid of those evil profits.

[busterbrown]

10. Tell me your feelings concerning the Bill and Melinda Gates foundations.......

They certainly are well intentioned, but it seems every other line out of them is
that " we need to improve the quality of our teachers" and thats bullshit.
Quality can be improved in every aspect of our society. Lets include Politicians,
Policemen, Military leaders, Corporations, Lawyers, you name it. Quality is a non
started for Teachers as far as I'm concerned. There are a few who are inadequate but
no more on a percentage basis than any other sector in our society.

Also when the general public hears the word Charter. They think its all good and
thats dangerous. They think of beautiful people helping the disadvantaged or extremely
bright and gifted children being placed in schools which enhance their abilities.
Its all bullshit! Money should be equally distributed when it comes to Educating
our young. No favorites. Favorites are easy to teach. We should in my opinion, put
our focus on the weakest link in the chain!

[jody]

11. Instead tell me if you support eliminating profit as I posted based on your OP. nt

[busterbrown]

12. i realize I'm not a good writer, but I thought my text explained what I felt about the subject.

[woo me with science]

7. We are under a planned, deliberate assault.

The plundering is underway on so many fronts that it's hard to keep track.

Had enough yet, America?

[hrmjustin]

9. K&R!