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MONTHLY NEWSLETTER: JANUARY 2007 ISSUE
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CHARTER SCHOOLS, IS IT SPRING IN INDIANA?
BY KEVIN TEASLEY, GREATER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOUNDATION
REPRINTED FROM INDIANA CHARTER SCHOOLS TODAY, SUMMER 2006
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The charter school movement will begin its 5th year of schools in operation in Indiana this fall. When the case was being made for charter schools, proponents said the schools are needed to provide more educational options to students and to help provide a catalyst for overall public school improvements. While we don’t have all the evidence in yet, it is clear that there is a paradigm shift taking place in Indiana.
In my own neighborhood, billboards advertising schools continue to pop up, that did not exist three years ago. Flanner House Charter School is advertising for students. There is a billboard stating that “Charter Schools are Free Public Schools” and offering a phone number for parents to call to receive additional information. There is a new billboard advertising the new Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet school, as well as a billboard advertising for Holy Angels Catholic School. To the best of my knowledge, this is new activity and it represents the new competition for the right to educate children. Isn’t that a good thing? I think so.
In Indianapolis, the new Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Eugene White, took the job and immediately told the public that he intends to compete with charter schools for students. And, true to his word, he has now created an all boys school, an all girls school and sandwiched in between is a KIPP charter school. All three schools will share the same building. Wow. Isn’t that great!? I think so.
These are just snippets of changes that are taking place in Indiana. These small ripples will soon become waves throughout the state. Dr. White is the second superintendent in the Indianapolis area to embrace competition. Dr. Don Stinson, Superintendent of the Decatur Schools, embraced charters two years ago and opened an expeditionary learning center in his school system to serve high school students. His school is authorized by the Mayor’s office even though his school board could have approved the school. Dr. Stinson said the district likes the accountability process provided by the Mayor’s office. Imagine that. Isn’t that great!? I think so.
Now, there will need to be additional thinking on the idea of small schools. Small schools are no better than large schools if they simply continue with the status quo— whole group instruction. We need schools to actually get out of the business of whole group instruction and into the business of individualized education. We must meet the needs of each student, not teach to the middle the group, leaving the lower level students behind and boring the advanced students. Students deserve better. We need to go further with this, too. We need to start the practice of continual mastery learning. For instance, if a child is in the 3rd grade but only completes 75 percent of his work before the summer break, that child should be allowed to enroll in the Fall as a 3rd grader until he completes his work and then be allowed to go to 4th grade—even though that may take place as early as October or November. There can be such advancement without ever moving classrooms. Perhaps schools should consider organizing students by age instead of grades. Many schools are starting to do that—including our 21st Century Charter Schools.
Congratulations to all the pioneers in the charter and public school world on the progress made to date. Everyone is to be commended for their efforts to improve our state’s service to students from all over the state. The staff at the Department of Education, the staff at the authorizer level at Ball State and the Office of the Mayor in Indianapolis and the schools themselves with their boards, teachers and principals. Kudos to all of you. The fruit of your labor is just about to start blooming. Is it Spring in Indiana? I think so.
Kevin Teasley is president of the Greater Educational Opportunities Foundation
Phone: 317-713-4238
Email: teasleygeo@aol.com
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