Charter Schools - Who Benefits?

I believe there is a mistaken concept by too many people that charter school are a panacea for all students and parents. Klaus Ruediger from Tampa, Fl. best sums it up in a letter to the editors of the WSJ yesterday. Mr. Ruediger wrote "I taught for 34 years in Florida public schools and it became evident to me that the desire to learn and self-discipline required to learn declined over those 34 years, and that the involvement of parents declined as well.

Charter Schools and vouchers are always trotted out as the solution to the problem of education. However what is never mentioned is that only students who desire an education and who have parents to support that effort are going to apply for either of those programs. The students who I witnessed taking home NO books in the afternoon and who showed up the next day without any paper, pens, pencils or homework will; not be helped because they do not have adults in their lives who encourage or enforce the required discipline that is necessary to succeed at anything."

Well said. However, I do believe many parents who blame the "system" whether schools or any other endeavor labeled as "the system" will try to get their kids in these schools,, etc., even though the kid is not willing to learn and the parents have lost control of the kid. This was one of the problems at Loucks Edison. The kids and parents did not involve themselves in the opportunities offered and Loucks administration and staff had to put up with them for half a year before transferring them back to the last place offered by School District #150, the classrooms where they had already failed.

Those willing to learn seem to grow less in number and quality each year. It is showing in our slide to populism and socialism.

I still strongly favor choice which I have at least a dozen case histories of success plus they give the teachers union the competition they fight bitterly to avoid.