Will GOP live up to its charter-school promises?
Georgia Republicans are a little giddy — and understandably so — about how easily the controversial charter-school amendment to the state constitution passed last month. Their 17-point margin of victory suggests to them that they now have an education mandate that extends well beyond state-created publicly funded charter schools.
For example, the vote is already being cited as a reason to double an existing program that today diverts as much as $50 million in state tax money into private schools. The transfer occurs through a convoluted process that gives the state no ability to regulate those schools or to hold them accountable in any way. “There is a real taste for anything that promotes school choice in Georgia,” state Rep. Earl Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, told the AJC. “Obviously voters said that loud and clear. I think the timing is right.”
Republicans are also pleased and a bit startled by the degree of support that charter schools found among black voters in Georgia. As Pulitzer-winning author and charter-school advocate Doug Blackmon points out on his website, counties with large black populations were more likely to support the charter amendment than the rest of Georgia, even though most black political and community leaders publicly opposed the measure.
“That includes DeKalb (54 percent African-American), where the amendment passed with 64 percent of the vote; and Fulton (43 percent African-American), where it was approved by 66 percent,” Blackmon notes, adding that in Clayton County, 71 percent of voters approved the measure.
For some of the state’s more far-sighted Republicans, numbers like that represent a long-sought opportunity. They now have reason to hope that charter schools and the larger issue of school choice will finally allow them to attract black voters to their party. And for a variety of reasons, I hope they prove to be right.
The increasingly race-defined political system in this state — with conservative white people huddling in the Republican Party and everyone else collecting in the Democratic Party — is not good for the GOP and not good for Georgia. Any honest effort to break that pattern has to be applauded.
However, for Georgia Republicans, the charter vote presents more than a political opportunity; it represents an obligation. They told black parents in Georgia that school choice will improve education for their children; they now have an obligation to try to make good on that promise. And frankly, the track record so far isn’t promising. For example, the private-school “scholarship” program championed by Ehrhart and others may march behind the “choice” banner, but it is essentially a tool by which politically influential middle-class and upper-class Georgians tap into taxpayer money to support their own kids’ private-school education.
The test will be interesting to watch. Will the out-of-state for-profit companies that poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the pro-charter political campaign now open schools in more challenging urban communities, or will they be allowed to cherry-pick the easier to serve, more profitable communities? Will state officials aggressively intervene to shutter those charter schools that do not live up to the promises that have been made?
Or, like the “scholarship” program, will this become another means by which to separate “our children” from “their children”, and by doing so justify the distrust between black Georgians and the GOP?
– Jay Bookman
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344 comments Add your comment
Doggone/GA
November 30th, 2012
9:38 am
“S. Ray — “…teachers can’t substitute for parents…””
Maybe not, but good teacher can augment and improve education for childern whose parents had, themselves, a poor education…for whatever reason.
saywhat?
November 30th, 2012
9:40 am
“Will GOP live up to its charter-school promises?’
——————————————————–
Um, no.
RB from Gwinnett
November 30th, 2012
9:41 am
“The GOP will end up with egg on their faces. These things won’t do a damn thing to help education in Georgia, much less education in the Black Community.”
Says the one who WANTS the black community to fail in education… Gotta keep ‘em dumb and dependent, right Bro?
You just keep doing what you’re doing cause the 44% graduation rate in the APS is exactly what you want for the black community. If it’s not, prove it. Show me what the dem party or you personally are doing to change it.
UNCLE SAMANTHA
November 30th, 2012
9:42 am
POLITIC-FACT
LIBERALS ARE RACISTS
TRUE – a wise man once said he wanted his children to be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin…………….. he would be disappointed in the fact that the D’s spend all their time breaking down people into groups based on their skin color and other markers instead of valuing the individual based on the content of their character………
MLK is SOL
Welcome to the Occupation
November 30th, 2012
9:42 am
Jay Bookman: “Or, like the “scholarship” program, will this become another means by which to separate “our children” from “their children”, and by doing so justify the distrust between black Georgians and the GOP?”
I can’t believe that you’re seriously putting that out as an actual question. Privatization, by its very nature, ALREADY means separating out “ours” from “theirs”. So there’s really nothing to wait for. If you think that the bid to privatize schools in predominately black areas is a good-faith effort to reach out to black GA voters has even the slightest chance of being in good faith, you’re kidding yourself.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
November 30th, 2012
9:45 am
…they now have an obligation to try to make good on that promise. And frankly, the track record so far isn’t promising.
If it doesn’t work, at least two here already this morning are poised to blame this on Obama.
The other half of your brain.
November 30th, 2012
9:48 am
The increasingly race-defined political system in this state — with conservative white people huddling in the Republican Party and everyone else collecting in the Democratic Party — is not good for the GOP and not good for Georgia. Any honest effort to break that pattern has to be applauded.
” Everyone else ” has a choice, they can go to whichever party they choose. It’s called the Democratic way.
With all the articles that you and the AJC have written about on how poor our students were doing and the cheating scandals, One would think that trying charter schools couldn’t be any worse.
It’s quite amazing how short ones memory is.
Erwin's cat
November 30th, 2012
9:49 am
I was against it before I was for it…
Brosephus™
November 30th, 2012
9:50 am
Says the one who WANTS the black community to fail in education… Gotta keep ‘em dumb and dependent, right Bro?
Are you willfully ignorant or were you born that way? The fact that you would insinuate such crap exposes you for the jackass you are. The only thing I want to see failure in is people like you spreading your bullsh*t ideology and thinking to others.
You just keep doing what you’re doing cause the 44% graduation rate in the APS is exactly what you want for the black community. If it’s not, prove it. Show me what the dem party or you personally are doing to change it.
Ok dumbass, I live in H-E-N-R-Y C-O-U-N-T-Y. My daughter is 4 years old, but I’ve been paying property taxes, i.e. funding the school system here, for almost 10 years. The only connection I have to APS is my friendship with josef. I don’t have to show you a damned thing about what I’m doing, but if you want to know, I have a 4 year old child who speaks 2 languages (English and Spanish), knows her numbers through 100, and is learning to count in Japanese. I don’t work to improve the educational system. My job as a parent is to ensure the education of my child and make sure she’s not impeding the education of those in the classroom with her.
Anything else?
Cosby
November 30th, 2012
9:52 am
Charter Schools have a history of operating less expensively than Government schools and produce quality educatin to boot. But Jay, of course, wants to use the race card. the other point is the charter Schools will only get about 65% of what the normal Government schools receive from the working stiffs ( 48&) who pay taxes, and, again they produce a quality product. Jay also did not address the Teachers Union that poured tons of money for defeating the charter Schools…time for Government schools to produce or go the way of the Edsel..now that is Capitalism at its best…and we get a qaulity product at a cheaper price…woprks damn well now doesn’t it!!!!!!
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer leech...and earned it!
November 30th, 2012
9:53 am
Parents helping their kid with homework is all very good, but what about the parents who have to work two jobs apiece to make ends meet? Who helps their kids do their homework?
The other half of your brain.
November 30th, 2012
9:55 am
stands for decibels
November 30th, 2012
8:26 am
mr. race baiter jay
ha ha ha.
That’s Mister race MASTER baiter jay to you, parrot.
Stands, that was funny, Masterbater.
Brosephus™
November 30th, 2012
9:56 am
Corbin
Nobody gives a sh*t about that. The parents are considered effin’ lazy because they don’t earn enough to pay taxes, even when they’re working two jobs. This charter school amendment ain’t about fixing education for people who really need it. The school boards already had the legal authorization to form charter schools if the parents wanted them. The GOP set the football up on the tee, and the whole state of Georgia just got Charlie Browned.
alex
November 30th, 2012
9:56 am
Vocational schools are an excellent alternative for kids….
RB from Gwinnett
November 30th, 2012
9:56 am
“Anything else?”
Yes. Just answer the question. Other than maintaining the status quo, what is the Dem party or YOU doing to change the 44% graduation rate in the APS? Or in the black community in general? Talk is cheap, Bro, improvement takes action. And all I’m seeing is Jay standing on the sidelines throwing rocks at the people trying to DO SOMETHING, something that’s proven to work. And he and you can’t tell me a single thing the dem party is or has done to correct this massive problem. NOTHING!!
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 30th, 2012
9:57 am
alex – 9:56 – totally agree
RB from Gwinnett
November 30th, 2012
9:59 am
“The parents are considered effin’ lazy because they don’t earn enough to pay taxes, even when they’re working two jobs. ”
And if their kids don’t get an education, they’re going to be doing the same thing. 44% graduation AIN’T GETTING THE JOB DONE!!!
indigo
November 30th, 2012
10:00 am
Finn – 8:32
You’d better get your 13 year old out of Georgia fast.
Otherwise he/she will be rolling down an isle shouting “I done been saved by the spirt, PRAISE DE LORD”
Tundra Dude
November 30th, 2012
10:01 am
Will GOP live up to its charter-school promises?
I’d expect the results to be about the same as up here, where they’ve been trying the charter thing since 1995. All the reviews are “mixed”, meaning, I’d say, less than spectacular.
The Impact of Milwaukee Charter Schools on Student Achievement
March 2009 — Executive Summary
(snipped)
the positive impact of charter schools on achievement (relative to traditional public schools) declines as the number of years a student has attended a charter school increases;
(snip)
We conclude that while charter schools overall may help the education of urban youth, our study of Milwaukee indicates that they should not be expected to be the silver bullet that some reformers seek. We also suggest that it is important to better understand and deal with instability in school attendance in urban school districts, as it proves to be the most significant determinant of student achievement in all of our statistical models.
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer leech...and earned it!
November 30th, 2012
10:01 am
RB,
What can a party do when it is suffering a super minority? How can the Democratic party do anything for APS?
Erwin's cat
November 30th, 2012
10:02 am
The school boards already had the legal authorization to form charter schools if the parents wanted them
I don’t think the decision to open a charter is/was in the hands of the parents. I think the county board ultimately has the power and that is/was the problem…but I could be wrong …and open to correction
The other half of your brain.
November 30th, 2012
10:04 am
Brosephus™
November 30th, 2012
9:56 am
Corbin
Nobody gives a sh*t about that. The parents are considered effin’ lazy because they don’t earn enough to pay taxes, even when they’re working two jobs. This charter school amendment ain’t about fixing education for people who really need it. The school boards already had the legal authorization to form charter schools if the parents wanted them. The GOP set the football up on the tee, and the whole state of Georgia just got Charlie Browned.
Bro, Can’t we at least once, give them a chance? Lets be honest, Georgia schools have been ripped apart in the past few years and I personally can’t see how trying anything could make it worse.
Heck, if all parents would work with their children like you & the misses work with yours we could eliminate all schools.
St Simons - he-ne-ha BOOTAKOOK 2014
November 30th, 2012
10:04 am
for-profit-jaysus-rode-the-dinosaur-charter scams have all the credibility
of the Georgia Republicans.
Union
November 30th, 2012
10:04 am
race baiting this early in the day.. sigh… so all the “white” kids going to attend the charter schools? i guess it would depend on the demographics of the community they are in. in new york.. the charter schools have over 85%+ minority makeup and the concern is there is not enough mix in the schools.
@jay.. so i guess all the new talking points are to integrate race and wealth envy into every blog now?
The other half of your brain.
November 30th, 2012
10:06 am
Well it’s time to try something else, we had charter schools for 3 weeks and it failed.
oops
November 30th, 2012
10:06 am
Republicans better step up to the plate and actually help disadvantaged communities the way Jeb did in FL.
Ben The Independent
November 30th, 2012
10:07 am
Jay says charter schools doubles the schools and costs. How can the total number of students remain the same and the cost to educate them double? Jays arithmetic has a far left spin. How can improving SAT scores be bad?
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer leech...and earned it!
November 30th, 2012
10:07 am
Maybe Georgia Republicans want to start a system like they have had in Europe. At age twelve all kids take an aptitude test to see what they are best suited for. Whatever that is is what they will train for. Seems kinda Socialistic to me, but in a way, so does this Charter school biz…
The other half of your brain.
November 30th, 2012
10:08 am
Union, You didn’t expect anything different from Jay, did you?
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer leech...and earned it!
November 30th, 2012
10:09 am
Ben The Independent
November 30th, 2012
10:07 am
Ben,
If the schools go private with no regulation, you can bet the cost will rise for the parent. Just look at cable TV for an example…
Oscar
November 30th, 2012
10:09 am
The charter school amendment has already passed. Talking about whether they are good or bad is a little late at this point. We are going to have them for better or worse.
Go Dogss.
Joe Hussein Mama
November 30th, 2012
10:10 am
RB — “something that’s proven to work”
Wrong.
They have a *small* net positive effect, but they have in no way been “proven to work,” as you falsely claim.
Matt P.
November 30th, 2012
10:10 am
If Republican leaders think this is a wedge issue to attract African-Americans, they’ve officially gone off the deep end.
Look, you passed misleading ballot language that gave a voter literally no idea what they were voting for. They may as well have been voting for apple pie and baseball. Are we really going to pretend that the average voter is going to understand the minutiae of an amendment to the state constitution?
So, fine, the ballot language was misleading, and you got what you wanted – the passage of the amendment. But that is all you got! When you have to hide your ideas in order to get them passed, your hidden ideas don’t suddenly become popular.
Moderate Line
November 30th, 2012
10:10 am
However, for Georgia Republicans, the charter vote presents more than a political opportunity; it represents an obligation. They told black parents in Georgia that school choice will improve education for their children; they now have an obligation to try to make good on that promise. And frankly, the track record so far isn’t promising. For example, the private-school “scholarship” program championed by Ehrhart and others may march behind the “choice” banner, but it is essentially a tool by which politically influential middle-class and upper-class Georgians tap into taxpayer money to support their own kids’ private-school education.
++++++
The current system benefits the rich and middle class more than the poor. The access to quality public education is largely based on your ability to buy a house in a district which a good public school system. The middle class and poor get the added benifit of increase wealth because the value of their homes go up faster because the educational systems where they live are more valuable. Even in the current recession look at where housing retain it’s value the best. Where the wealthier people live.
I actually see where vouchers and charter schools decrease the advantage the rich and middle class have over the poor.
Brosephus™
November 30th, 2012
10:10 am
Other than maintaining the status quo, what is the Dem party or YOU doing to change the 44% graduation rate in the APS?
Can you not read??? “The only connection I have to APS is my friendship with josef.” is what I posted to you earlier. I don’t live in Atlanta. I don’t belong to the Democratic Party. I don’t belong to the NAACP, or any other organization with ties to APS.
If you want to go to the general community, I’ve been a mentor since I was in high school. I’ve worked with the youth through my Masonic Lodge since joining in 1992. I’ve also spent several years going back to work with music education in my hometown. I do plenty to improve things in my environment. As you said, talk IS cheap, and your’s ain’t worth a damn cent.
You come here preaching crap and don’t know a damned thing about the Black community. So you have zero credibility in trying to tell me what’s needed in the Black community as I live in the Black community. Why don’t you just stick to whining about Obama and worry about corrupt assed Gwinnett?
Joe Hussein Mama
November 30th, 2012
10:11 am
Ben T. Independent — “How can the total number of students remain the same and the cost to educate them double?”
Profit motive.
The other half of your brain.
November 30th, 2012
10:11 am
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer leech…and earned it!
November 30th, 2012
10:09 am
Ben The Independent
November 30th, 2012
10:07 am
Ben,
If the schools go private with no regulation, you can bet the cost will rise for the parent. Just look at cable TV for an example
There you go, charter schools is just like tv.
Thomas Heyward Jr
November 30th, 2012
10:15 am
Actually………..Brocephus…………..as a Federal employee …………pays absolutely NO taxes.
.
just a drive-by.
.
carry on.
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer leech...and earned it!
November 30th, 2012
10:16 am
The other half of your brain.
November 30th, 2012
10:11 am
I agree. Charter schools could end up with Sponge Bob Square pants as a teacher.
Jay
November 30th, 2012
10:16 am
“Jay says charter schools doubles the schools and costs. How can the total number of students remain the same and the cost to educate them double? Jays arithmetic has a far left spin.
Where does Jay say this? As far as Jay knows, Jay didn’t write anything even close to that.
Ronald Reagan Parkway
November 30th, 2012
10:17 am
Gwinnett County schools have been successful for several years. This new Charter School Amendment is going to be used to benefit the newly formed cities and schools that have a free lunch program with a participation rate of 1%. The Black and Hispanic communities will not benefit unless change at the top happens (Democrat Governor). The Republican Party thinks that the Brown People Community is only looking for handouts, so expect only a few crumbs to be thrown their way!
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer leech...and earned it!
November 30th, 2012
10:18 am
Jay,
It’s not a good sign to talk about yourself in third person…you’re scaring me…
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
November 30th, 2012
10:18 am
Will Obama live up to his promises……… say starting with “transparency” ?
n
November 30th, 2012
10:19 am
Republican lawmakers in Georgia spend most of the legislative time and energy determining how best to divert taxpayer millions into their own pockets. In many cases propaganda and outright lies are used to sway public opinion. It is the worst form of crony capitalism..
The campaign for state control of charter school placement was a classic case of lies and cynical manipulation of the electorate in order to get the amendment passed. And now, because of their success with the Charter School Amendment, you can bet that the great minds at work in the state leadership are busily figuring out more and better propaganda campaigns to separate taxpayers from their money, and to divert taxpayer millions towards their selfish purposes and crony enrichment.
It is the definition of dysfunctional & failing state when many/most of the state leadership run for office and devote their energies in office solely for self gain and to perpetuate their narrow selfish agendas.
Georgia is a failing state that has been headed downward for a decade now, due to the greed and narrow-mindedness of it’s leadership. We are at or near the bottom of every measure of progress, education and culture because of the limited vision and greed of the men running this state.
Common Sense isn't very Common
November 30th, 2012
10:20 am
My question is are the Charter Schools going to provide bus service to all those poor inner city kids or will that be an added expense on the parents?
Will the Charter Schools also provide free breakfast and lunches to all the poor kids they proclaim they are trying to raise out of poverty?
When a family is living on the edge any expense is too much.
Tundra Dude
November 30th, 2012
10:20 am
Why Charter Schools Fail the Test
By CHARLES MURRAY May 4, 2010
THE latest evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the oldest and most extensive system of vouchers and charter schools in America, came out last month, and most advocates of school choice were disheartened by the results.
http://bit.ly/Sz1KMh
barking frog
November 30th, 2012
10:21 am
The people have another choice available. How is this a bad thing?
Because some of those people are rich or religious? I think not.
weetamoe
November 30th, 2012
10:25 am
Charter schools are public schools. Did you deliberately obscure that fact by including private schools in your discussion? DeKalb County schools are about to lose their accreditation and there are rumblings in some sections of our new cities that it might be prudent to establish their own school systems. Elected officials apparently have little faith in public schools. We’ve had kids in our family (some white some not) enrolled in Paideia, Galloway, Walker, Friends, and a local Montessori. Classmates were/are kids of elected officials and AJC employees.
Redneck Convert (R--and ;proud of it)
November 30th, 2012
10:25 am
“The only connection I have to APS is my friendship with josef.”
Woe is me! I don’t even have that, thanks to his hatred of rednecks.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 30th, 2012
10:25 am
“Where does Jay say this? As far as Jay knows, Jay didn’t write anything even close to that.”
Jay Bookman … the new “Bo Knows”
TaxPayer
November 30th, 2012
10:26 am
The school boards already had the legal authorization to form charter schools if the parents wanted them
When the democratic process does not yield results that appeal to the Republicans they seek other means of achieving their desires. They were born that way, baby.
Brosephus™
November 30th, 2012
10:27 am
EC: I don’t think the decision to open a charter is/was in the hands of the parents.
The decision rests with the board. The board is an elected body. The ultimate power is wielded by those who vote, i.e. parents. If the board won’t make the decision, one can always run to replace the board and make the decision yourself.
—————————
The other half @ 10:04
We don’t have any choice other than to give them a chance. That said, I’m not holding my breath in anticipation of some kind of grand breakthrough simply because the state now can override the local board and institute charter schools.
None of that will change the dynamics inside the home. As long as both parents have to work their asses off to keep a roof over the head of the family, their time spent working is less time spent helping to prepare the child to learn. That’s where I think the improvement needs to begin. If the child isn’t prepared to learn by the time they start grade school, they’re already behind the curve.
—————————
Ron Paul Jr @ 10:15 Actually………..Brocephus…………..as a Federal employee …………pays absolutely NO taxes.
I wish you’d tell that to my county tax assessor’s office. You could save me about 2 grand a year alone in that one office.
UNCLE SAMANTHA
November 30th, 2012
10:27 am
YOU HAVE TO PASS IT TO SEE WHATS IN IT
you whining crying liberals from democratically controlled school districts which churn out uneducated and ill prepared citizens are really ignorant in that you want pur more money into a failing system instead of creating a working system
HOSTESS is a great example of LIBERALISM at work
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
November 30th, 2012
10:28 am
“Or, like the “scholarship” program, will this become another means by which to separate “our children” from “their children”, and by doing so justify the distrust between black Georgians and the GOP?”
Jay:
Oh, do you mean like Obama and many other Democrat Senators and Congressmen/women separate “their children from those children” in Washington, D.C. ?
Hummmmm ………………………..
RB from Gwinnett
November 30th, 2012
10:30 am
“What can a party do when it is suffering a super minority? How can the Democratic party do anything for APS?”
Check the makeup of the APS school board and pretty much everybody with any control of the APS, tell us which party has control of it, then get back to us with a more reasonable answer. Simply put, PAY ATTENTION!!
Georgia on my mind...
November 30th, 2012
10:30 am
Brosephus™
November 30th, 2012
9:50 am
You deserve the award for the “best” post of the morning! People still live in the 1950’s and think that Black people are not intelligent enough to speak for themselves unless there is background noise coming from others. If you have never lived in the hood, how can you know the struggles? If you once lived there and were able to move up, I am sure that it was through hard work. Some White people think that Black people are lazy and enjoy living a life with low wages…they are wrong on many levels…All people are asking for is an “opportunity” and they will prove just how successful they can be!
Simple Truths
November 30th, 2012
10:30 am
This feels like an entry good ol’ Cynthia Tucker would have written. Thanks for the flashback to that terrible era for the AJC.
barking frog
November 30th, 2012
10:30 am
Not a good idea to encourage the state chartered schools to
become known as the Republican School System.
skipper
November 30th, 2012
10:30 am
APS..shining beacon of exemplary education. (lol) So it should be left alone with the buffoons who run it? Race always come into it, and I respect Bro’s honesty. However, race in this case means keeping incompetant idiots to run APS. The right to vote does not ensure the intelligence to do so, and since nobody DARES to say anything that will get them branded “racist” here it is……the communities insistance on electing unqualified individuals to the board has contributed to the cluster that APS has become. And folks were just supposed to stand around and watch that nightmare go on? Race comes into it granted probably more because of the poverty, etc. but it is STILL as screwed up a situation as is imaginable! Lokk at the inner-city high schools and get real……like Clower said whan he and the bobcat were fighting uo in the tree: “Just shoot up here amongst us; somebody has to have some relief!
Welcome to the Occupation
November 30th, 2012
10:33 am
Ben the Independent: “Jay says charter schools doubles the schools and costs. How can the total number of students remain the same and the cost to educate them double?”
Why wouldn’t it make sense though, Ben? Let along Marxist analysis, that’s simple econ 101. When you introduce profit — the very difference between the two arrangements — that explains the difference that must arise in costs for the consumer.
Georgia on my mind...
November 30th, 2012
10:35 am
skipper says,
The right to vote does not ensure the intelligence to do so, and since nobody DARES to say anything that will get them branded “racist” here it is……
______
Tell me if it was the intelligence of the people of Georgia to vote for Nathan Deal and his baggage???
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer leech...and earned it!
November 30th, 2012
10:38 am
RB,
You had better pay attention. Amendment 1 gives control of local school systems to the State. The State is deep red, last I looked.
bookman parrot
November 30th, 2012
10:38 am
to
stands for decibels
November 30th, 2012
8:26 am
typical lib… when they have no clue, nor can’t ignore the truth, .. they respond with childish name calling
Erwin's cat
November 30th, 2012
10:39 am
Four public charter schools in Georgia were named yesterday to the Georgia Department of Education’s List of “Reward Schools.” The Rewards School designation is a new achievement ranking reserved for schools with the highest performance or the biggest academic gains by students in the last three years.
http://www.gacharters.org/
Thomas Heyward Jr
November 30th, 2012
10:41 am
Ron Paul Jr @ 10:15 Actually………..Brocephus…………..as a Federal employee …………pays absolutely NO taxes.
I wish you’d tell that to my county tax assessor’s office. You could save me about 2 grand a year alone in that one office.
—————————————————————————————–
.
“When a citizen is allowed to pay the mule skinner off with skins that were first pilfered from him….and the mule skinner actually accepts such payment………then ye shall know that the State is involed in general education and ye shall know that your society is surely doomed and/or skinned.”
.
BJ Thomas 1972
UNCLE SAMANTHA
November 30th, 2012
10:42 am
Tundra Dude
November 30th, 2012
10:20 am
Why Charter Schools Fail the Test
By CHARLES MURRAY May 4, 2010
====================================================================
oh yes………… LIBERALS AT WORK!!!!!!!!
Milwaukee WI…….. THE GREAT LIBERAL STATE………with education run by LIBERALS……….. faild by LIBERALS
SO THEY GO OUT AND GET A REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE too correct the LIBERAL FAILINGS
but then those corrections start to WORK so LIBERALS try to RECALL the REPUBLICANS for showing how INCOMPETENCE of the WI LIBERALISM………….. and that FAILED
so give time and the REPUBLICAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM to be implemented in Milwaukee will over time improve output and replace the FAILING LIBERAL EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
MAYBE CITY OF ATLANTA NEEDS TO HIRE REPUBLICANS FOR THEIR SCHOOL SYSTEM
Moderate Line
November 30th, 2012
10:44 am
Georgia on my mind…
November 30th, 2012
10:30 am
Brosephus™
November 30th, 2012
9:50 am
You deserve the award for the “best” post of the morning! People still live in the 1950’s and think that Black people are not intelligent enough to speak for themselves unless there is background noise coming from others. If you have never lived in the hood, how can you know the struggles? If you once lived there and were able to move up, I am sure that it was through hard work. Some White people think that Black people are lazy and enjoy living a life with low wages…they are wrong on many levels…All people are asking for is an “opportunity” and they will prove just how successful they can be!
++++
I grew up in a mostly poor white area. Most of my family is poor. I have lived in a 90% black area and I now live in a 90% white area. It is interesting to see the statements people both black and white make about each other.
Neither one really knows the other that well.
lovelyliz
November 30th, 2012
10:45 am
These charter schools Are going to be used as a way to make politically-connected contactors even richer at the tax payer trough while doing nothing for the kids who really need help
Question for you
November 30th, 2012
10:45 am
UNCLE SAMANTHA
November 30th, 2012
10:42 am
What county do you reside in? What has the Republican Governors of Georgia done to improve education since they have been in control for over 12 years? How did former President George W. Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” system work out for GEORGIA?
skipper
November 30th, 2012
10:46 am
Georgia on my mind;
Nathan Deal or anybody else could not find a train, plane, or automobile big enough for the APS baggage. Stick to the topic, will ya? Looking at APS, you, nor your first cousin Bozo the Clown can say that somebody should not try something………..
lovelyliz
November 30th, 2012
10:47 am
An investigation by Philadelphia s City Controller earlier this year uncovered widespread financial mismanagement among the city s charter schools, including undisclosed related party transactions where friends and family of school management were paid for various services, people listed as working full time at more than one school, individuals writing checks to themselves, and even a $30,000 bill from a beach resort charged to a school.
RB from Gwinnett
November 30th, 2012
10:47 am
“You had better pay attention. Amendment 1 gives control of local school systems to the State. The State is deep red, last I looked.”
If you really think thats what Amendment 1 does and that it’s what has made the APS the joke it is, you have no business being part of this discussion. Go back to Wheel of Fortune or whatver you were doing.
Welcome to the Occupation
November 30th, 2012
10:48 am
Jay: “Republicans are also pleased and a bit startled by the degree of support that charter schools found among black voters in Georgia.”
I don’t know for sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion this may have something to do with a certain “grace period” among African Americans, temporarily putting in suspension skepticism on these elite schemes, associated with the fact that Barack Obama, along with other astroturf privatizers in the Democratic party camp like Cory Booker, are big proponents of these sorts of educational “innovations”. Don’t know that but it’s just a hunch. Needless to say though, when the truth comes out about how these schemes fuel inequality rather than mitigate it, the shortness of whatever “honeymoon” appears now will quickly become clear.
UNCLE SAMANTHA
November 30th, 2012
10:50 am
RUN LIBERALS RUN
go watch
WAITING FOR SUPERMAN
even the liberal Bill Gates sees the value in charter schools
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-09-29/film/waiting-for-superman-bill-gates-joins-the-charter-school-bandwagon/
Georgia on my mind...
November 30th, 2012
10:51 am
skipper
November 30th, 2012
10:46 am
___
Thank you for you insults SON but I am not apart of the APS school system.
Skitty Fritty
November 30th, 2012
10:52 am
Doug Blackmon points out on his website, counties with large black populations were more likely to support the charter amendment than the rest of Georgia, even though most black political and community leaders publicly opposed the measure.
Answer:
Because they know their public school systems are not providing the education their children need even though these counties spend more $ than other counties per student.
Ronald Reagan Parkway
November 30th, 2012
10:53 am
skipper, what school system does your family reside in?
skipper
November 30th, 2012
10:53 am
@Georgia,
Although (unfortunately) I’m probably older than you, my apologies.
Welcome to the Occupation
November 30th, 2012
10:54 am
I did a little nosing around on that question of African American support for privatization in Georgia, and turns out there’s already been some discussion of the question, incl. by AJC’s Galloway.
—
Jim Galloway of the Atlanta Constitution Journal explains here how interesting it is that Georgia’s ballot measure to permit the state to create a committee to approve charter schools passed with big support from African Americans — even though black lawmakers and other leaders in the state said it would lead to the resegregation of public schools.
In fact, the state superintendent of schools was against it, as was the Georgia PTA, as was the League of Women Voters, as was Georgia’s NAACP, just to name some of the opponents.
So what or who made the difference?
President Obama, Galloway says, thanks to a 60-minute radio spot that aired on African American radio stations. Obama doesn’t talk specifically about Georgia’s charter initiative but he is heard in the ad as supporting charter school expansion.
…..
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/08/how-obama-helped-georgia-charter-measure-win/
—
Ben Shockley
November 30th, 2012
10:54 am
RB correctly points out the miserable 44% APS graduation rate. However, the crime isn’t so much that 56% fail to grduate, but rather that the 44% who do graduate are proven not to know squat.
Dems tenaciously guarding the miserable status quo. Sad.
Skitty Fritty
November 30th, 2012
10:55 am
Question:
Why do we want this thing called “Government” to have a larger role in our lives than it already has? Clearly, the recent election said the people want the “Government” to control healthcare, etc.
Why when the “Government” hasn’t shown us strong, quality leadership on things such as education or healthcare (Medicare)?
Georgia on my mind...
November 30th, 2012
10:55 am
skipper
November 30th, 2012
10:53 am
maybe you are but you speak like a little BOY!
Skitty Fritty
November 30th, 2012
10:56 am
Question:
What public school does President Obama’s children attend?
Ben Shockley
November 30th, 2012
10:56 am
“The increasingly race-defined political system in this state — with conservative white people huddling in the Republican Party and everyone else collecting in the Democratic Party”
Conservative white people tend to achieve more and live better than all those other groups. Maybe people ought to pay attention th their opinions.
Just sayin’…………………………
Mike
November 30th, 2012
10:56 am
USinUK, I don’t know about all that “free stuff” stuff. I was merely saying why I thought so many minorities voted for this. I am sure many people of color on the south and east sides of Atl. realize this program may benefit them if they can get their kids away from the school systems they are in.
That’s all.
Of course, one might argue that those on “your side”, whatever that means, would rather keep them hemmed up and keep them dumb so they will keep depending on you.
Brosephus™
November 30th, 2012
10:57 am
Georgia on my mind… @ 10:30
I am who I am because of where I came from and how I was raised. I’ve tried to do what I could to help those who want to better themselves, regardless of whatever demographic group they belong to. Thanks for the compliment.
oops
November 30th, 2012
10:58 am
“What public school does President Obama’s children attend?”
bingo
George W. Bush
November 30th, 2012
10:59 am
It seems as if some on the blog were recipients of the “No Child Left Behind”.
UNCLE SAMANTHA
November 30th, 2012
11:00 am
Question for you
November 30th, 2012
10:45 am
UNCLE SAMANTHA
November 30th, 2012
10:42 am
What county do you reside in? What has the Republican Governors of Georgia done to improve education since they have been in control for over 12 years? How did former President George W. Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” system work out for GEORGIA?
LIBERAL ILLOGICS
i thought the whole arguement against the charter school system was that it would take LOCAL CONTROL away………… so your argument of what have GOVENORS done is invalid………. WHAT HAVE THE LOCAL DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED SCHOOL SYSTEMS DONE — FAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the local republican systems churn out educated students
YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD-GIVE CONTROLL TO REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS AND TAKE IT AWAY FROM LOCAL COUNTY/CITY DEMOCRAT GOVERNMENTS
John Konop
November 30th, 2012
11:02 am
We are heading in the wrong direction with plenty of blame on all sides. We need to lower overhead and increase quality ASAP. The current one size fit all teach to the test college prep system does not work for the majority of kids. Charter schools, private schools home schools will not fix the problem on a macro.
I would suggest the following:
1) Combine public schools with 4 year colleges, JC…………and utilize facilities, faculties, administration and students more efficiently. This would lower building cost, match students with best teachers, lower administrative overhead while increasing quality, increasing work experience for students……….
Roll back the teach to the test craziness and instead focus on learning and a certificate concepts rather than high stakes testing.
2) Track students according to aptitude and eliminate or seek waivers No Child Left Behind teach to the test college prep requirements for all.
3) Create a home school/ public school option that is flexible to the students needs and can foster internship/co-op jobs starting in high school.
4) Cross utilize high schools at night for colleges, JC…….to lower overhead and create more access to training, education………
5) Create curriculum based on certificates needed for skills at all levels based on aptitude and desire of students.
6) Create one department between higher learning and k-12 to make sure all are on the same page and lower overhead.
7) Bridge a relationship between the chamber and schools to create proper requirements for curriculum for jobs, co-ops and internships.
9) Grade school districts on graduation rates, job placement and placement into higher education over mean test scores.
Georgia on my mind...
November 30th, 2012
11:02 am
Brosephus™
November 30th, 2012
10:57 am
You are welcome…the same here…I am from a similar type of environment. My father was a blue collar worker that worked very hard to provide for us. He never had his hand out looking for the government to take care of his family and neither do I or my siblings!
Fred ™
November 30th, 2012
11:03 am
oops
November 30th, 2012
10:58 am
“What public school does President Obama’s children attend?”
bingo
++++++++++++++++++++
What Country are you President of? Bingo.
What Georgia County does President Obama live in? Bingo.
Just how insipidly stupid was your bingo? Bingo.
Just damn still no signs of intelligence from the Right, just tired lies and stupidity……….
DannyX
November 30th, 2012
11:03 am
“MAYBE CITY OF ATLANTA NEEDS TO HIRE REPUBLICANS FOR THEIR SCHOOL SYSTEM”
No, Republicans have proven they are not up to the job. After a long, long wait Republicans were finally able to get one of their own elected when Linda Schrenko became the state school superintendent a few years back. She is still sitting in jail right now for stealing money from a deaf school fund so she could pay for a facelift. Great start Republicans!
The current state super spoke out against the Charter School Amendment.
Republicans have little confidence in education. Gov Deal accepted a couple hundred million dollars in “big government”, “liberal Obama”, strings attached federal Race To The Top funds.
Republicans are terrible in math and science, their unskewed approach to education is doomed to fail.
Fred ™
November 30th, 2012
11:05 am
Skitty Fritty
November 30th, 2012
10:56 am
Question:
What public school does President Obama’s children attend?
+++++++++++++++++++
Question: What Country are you President of?
Question: What does the education of Obama’s kids have to do with Georgia’s money grab amendment from Nathan Deal?
Question: Do you have a brain?
skipper
November 30th, 2012
11:05 am
Georgia o m m,
What is your suggestion to cure the woeful ills of APS? Rave about Nathan Deal? throw out the red-herring to get off the subject? Charter may NOT be the answer….please give us your solution: I am certain you must have one.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 30th, 2012
11:06 am
“HOSTESS is a great example of LIBERALISM at work”
you mean executives pillaging the company then blaming the unions??
then, when the company declares bankruptcy, STILL seeking additional millions for their efforts???
alex
November 30th, 2012
11:10 am
@Tundra:thanks for the reference, did you read the ENTIRE article with the author pointing out that HE would send his child to a local charter school. …Anyway, thanks..
Snarkysnake
November 30th, 2012
11:10 am
Here’s a closed circuit to all of my friends that want education reform:
The venom and bile that you will see in a LOT of the comments above and below is being promulgated by the educrats and their robots. The rules of engagement with these people will roughly follow the outline below.
1) If you disagree with the education cartel on these pages Or Maureen Downey’s blog), you will be called ignorant, bigoted,a fundamentalist whack job and a lot worse.(I have also noted that “racist” is starting to creep into the more unhinged posts). Be of good cheer; The cartel is seeing their power slip away and they are behaving like spoiled children.If you have kids (especially young teens) you know what I am talking about.
2) The discussion will not go more than a few posts without you being accused of wanting to “cut teachers pay”. This is another strawman that comes straight from the GAE talking points.You may be obliged to point out that with over $180,000 spent in each classroom in Georgia ($9000 average per students X 20 students), versus an average $50K salary,the only people taking pay away from teachers are the battalions of central office staff and rock star superintendents that make over $400K (Like Beverly Hall).
3) They’ll tell you that poor kids are the reason that the more well off kids can’t learn. This has been done since the dawn of time . It’s the reason that so many kids get free lunches (”You can’t teach a hungry child” !!) BUT, its the same reason that they want even more free lunches.
4) They’ll tell you that they COULD do a better job…If only the bureaucracy in the central office would get out of the way. They won’t tell you that the central office is staffed by …Them, with a few more letters after their name.That’s the goal for a lot of them-The big money jobs like “Director of sustainability” that allow them to buy the luxury cars that those people drive.Net time you’re out with the kids, play “Educator Bingo” . The rules-When you see a giant SUV or Lexus,Infinity or other high end car with an “Educator” tag, you get a letter. It won’t take long…
5) When they start talking about who benefits (financially) from school choice…They know that they are losing. If all you have to talk about is who gets the money,then you got nothin’. Ask them if they will donate 20 hours a week to their schools and they’ll turn all capitalist on you real quick.
Look, the education monopoly needs to visit Reality Planet and understand that the political winds have changed. (Boy, have they changed- 60-40 for the Charter School Amendment). We reform advocates are emboldened.In a fair election,the monopoly was beaten. Thats reality. They can either get with the program or become even more marginalized.Better to take half a loaf than go begging,I say.
We’re winning. They are on the wrong side of history. Encourage one another and don’t listen to the name calling and hyperbole (”THE RELIGIOUS FRINGE WANTS TO SHUT DOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS!!!!!!!”) Win hearts and minds. Wear their insults like a badge of honor (and they will insult you,believe me).
Georgia’s a great place. And we’re about to get better schools.
Union
November 30th, 2012
11:11 am
USinUK – not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 30th, 2012
11:06 am
you mean executives pillaging the company then blaming the unions??
then, when the company declares bankruptcy, STILL seeking additional millions for their efforts???
what are you kids going to blame the failure of california on?
Brosephus™
November 30th, 2012
11:11 am
Moderate Line @ 10:44
You should post that here every day!!!
—————————-
RB correctly points out the miserable 44% APS graduation rate. However, the crime isn’t so much that 56% fail to grduate, but rather that the 44% who do graduate are proven not to know squat.
Who knew APS controlled so much of Georgia’s educational system.
Dixie Edalgo and Allyson Reyer both graduated first in their class in Georgia public schools. Both now attend in-state public colleges.
But for these valedictorians, the road to college was dramatically different. Reyer, 18, graduated from Sprayberry High in Cobb County with a 4.578 grade point average and 39 hours of college credit through advanced placement courses. In her first year at The University of Georgia, she’s already a sophomore.
Edalgo, 19, graduated from Wilcox High in the South Georgia town of Rochelle, where budget cuts forced a four-day week, advanced placement courses are not offered and an estimated two-thirds of students don’t have Internet access at home. She graduated with a 4.0 but seldom had homework, and is now struggling with math as a freshman at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, where a 2.0 – a low C average – is required for entry.
Rochelle, GA is in Wilcox County, Georgia, that Red county that voted for Romney by 66% over Obama. The same Wilcox County that voted Republican for every contested office on their ballot and only Democrats who ran unopposed won.
http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/GA/Wilcox/42434/112209/en/summary.html
APS is one bad mutha… I bet John Shaft graduated from APS.