charter schools

The biggest takeaway from the Virtual Schools Symposium is that this is a growth industry with incredible opportunity - and that is really starting to attract significant private sector investment. But like any growth industry, there will be operators who will not create quality schools. This will be used by some to say that online learning does not work. Another problem with explosive growth will be the variation in schools. Because there have been no large scale studies of students in online learning, the variation in quality will dilute the overall positive effects.

Yet another data point on the selectivity model for improving education. By selecting teachers from top universities, charter schools in Boston are getting better results for their students. This is pointed out in an editorial over at Gadfly today by Steven Wilson from Ascend Charter schools.

There are 7 charter schools that are realizing significantly higher student learning gains on the state’s MCAS tests. Over 50% of the teachers in those schools are from elite universities compared to 19% at public schools.

It goes without saying that pop-culture has a dramatic impact on our youth and their studies. When LA Law became a hit show in the 80's, the number of people entering law school sky-rocketed. It was closely followed by ER which created a rush to get into med school. The CSI effect had universities scrambling to create CSI degree programs.

The Issue:

• Teachers have the greatest influence on student achievement
• There are not enough great teachers
• School districts have TFA and TNTP to help them
• Charter schools need to start demonstrating that they are really increasing student achievement
• Charter schools are not getting the staffing they need

The Solution:

Hold ABCTE recruitment events just for Charter and Private Schools