Editor’s note: Nationally our public schools are undergoing extreme changes. One of them: cyber-charter schools are booming. But in this presentation from TED, the question of “who’s left behind” is asked:
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I.don’t know about this. No other kids around, just a screen in front of you–I didn’t watch much of the video.
Reminds me of the first time I saw 1984 on TV when I was about 14.
Call me a Luddite, it’s OK.
The charter schools are redefining our educational landscape. But it’s important to look at the unintended consequences of what’s “left behind.” I recommend that readers to watch the whole video when they have time; that’s why I posted it. The “meatiest” part is about halfway through.
Jeff, you’re right of course. I’ll try and watch it all later. In the morning, as a co owner of an International Listserv on a serious health problem, I’m always in a hurry to answer, or try to answer, many difficult questions.
Making a salary of $2.6 million off an education budget should be criminal. Also, the collusion of curriculum developers and these online education services should also be illegal. All of this points to more regulation and oversight by the government. However by the time our government gets their act together, people like Mr. Ron Packard will already be long gone on his sail boat somewhere in the Bahamas or onto the next government-sponsored get-rich scheme.
http://www.k12.com/about-k12/our-team/senior-management
It appears Mr. Packard is the poster child for Conservative “reform” efforts. Note his education qualifications…..none.
Thanks for the video. It’s alarming. I could have done without the tears, but other than that, she did a good job.
Thank you for sharing this. Might not have seen it otherwise. So much I could say. I agree somewhat. Yes, she outlined a real problem. Nevada County’s educational choices are sometimes overwhelming to me as a mother of three aged 11-16, never mind what’s available online. We have never chosen our neighborhood school until this year, and only for one. We have also, in nine years, never chosen a full online curriculum either. Yes, our choices have leaked money from the districts. And yes, at last check, 24% of Nevada County families with school age children are also choosing outside their neighborhood school. But honestly? In my heart of hearts, when it comes to my own, it doesn’t matter. I am convinced, for my children to thrive in the future, they will have to know their creative bend and how to learn. The factory model she described came as a result of the industrial revolution, not the information revolution. Hopefully, my (high) property taxes help our neighborhood school someway. But our family financial decisions, including one income over decades and paying for private lessons as we can and teaching the rest through co-ops, the Great Books, etc., is also respected as we seek to train our own children as we know how for the inevitable, unpredictable future. I have no confidence in giving that over full- time to the classroom school model. The public school system is doing their best to adjust, and I appreciate the effort. But it won’t be in time for my kids.
Well I viewed the entire video, then did some online research about these cyber schools and their relationships with the for profit curiculum developers. Discovered, a bill recently passed in Michigan’s House of Reps–I think–36 to 34, the Republicans winning (as one critic posited, cyber Ed being further attempts to privatize all gov’t functions). The presenter, early on, IMO, told a bold faced lie, specifically that in the formative days, in the old west, which started out being merely the western half of states such as PA, VA, NY, SC, etc, then proceeded to creep towards the Mississippi River and beyond, that–now I’ve forgotten her exact words, but these will do–social justice was taught.
Again, IMO, she really didn’t supply much meat, merely convenient charts applicable to her sales pitch. I can’t emphasize enough my feelings of the importance of interaction with other kids as part of the educational experience. My high school I wouldn’t trade for any other: about 50% second generation Italion immigrants, 5 to 7% Black, some Hispanics–Cubans and Puerto Ricans–20% Jewish, and the rest Scotch, Irish, German, Polish. A good ethnic mixture and a place where racial tensions were not a problem.
One of these days I’ll learn how to copy a clickable link to a blog comment, but the link below has a pretty scathing review of this cyber school and for profit curiculum business venture. One of the criticisms was that ALEC was behind the big push for cyber ed.
eclectablog.com/…/cyber-schools-a-for-profit-model-designed-to-des
And when I was in Alternative and Correctional Ed., home schoolers had to work under the supervision of a credentialed teacher. A certain group seems to dominate the home schoolers, but I’ll leave that alone lest I offend anyone usually associated with the core of the conservative base.
One last point. Although they claim not to be for profit, they’re gobbling up big chunks of public money which an unknown amount is then paid to private companies. And the gov’t is only now seeming to becoming aware of what a scam this private, for profit, colleges are, as they are investigating, I think, Kaplan Institute. They are expensive, but count on students getting gov/t loans, and very rarely come through on job placement. My best friend, who got thrown out of high school but was quite sharp and after his stint in the Marines, went on to become the head engineer for a German high tech firm–his territory was the Pacific rim, mostly mainland China, until several strokes and heart attacks ended his career–interviewed, from time to time, graduates from this colleges you see advertised on TV. And in his knowledgeable and experienced assessment, they didn’t know jack sh++.
So I remain very skeptical, more because of what she didn’t say than what she did say.
When I returned to Vietnam in 2004, in Saigon, I visited Cholon, the Chinese market district and while inside an apothecary shop I took a photo of this five gallon jar filled with all kinds of dead creatures and herbs, by far the most prominent was an extremely large cobra. I’ve kept it pinned to a wall just as a reminder that there are snake oil sales people every where, maybe even in the field of education.