Jeremy Resnick, the founder of Propel Schools, visited the Technology and Educational Restructuring class on January 24. According to the Propel web site:
Propel is building an organization that can significantly transform the region's educational landscape, especially in communities with a shortage of good school options.
What are issues or questions that you have about the role of charter schools as a strategy to restructure education?
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What is Charter School?
A Charter School is a publicly funded educational entity that has been granted a special 'charter' which exempts it from certain state regulations in exchange for producing desired results as defined in it's charter.
The article states that the costs for the virtual school are about the same as a brick-and-mortar school. It also mentions that the school hires only part-time teachers who are looking for the flexibility offered in this setup. What will happen to costs of the virtual school if it must compete with brick-and-mortar schools for faculty?
A Charter School can be viewed as a new opportunity for a better education when the local school has failed to keep its promise. It can give more choices to parents and students.
I was wondering how closely charter schools work within PDE guidelines. For example, do charter schools participate in the PIMS inititive? (Pennsylvania's new data management application which is meant to track students' information throughout their K-12 years)
This is my posting for Mr. Tucker...
I enjoyed reading your paper titled "Laboratories of Reform, Virtual High Schools and Innovation in Public Education." As a student, I personally prefer the virtual classroom because I can pace the work myself, at my convenience. Also, as I complete an assignment, I may find that I have additional time to follow-up on a portion of the assignment independently which enriches my learning. Additionally, working in the virtual environment somehow makes me establish a greater sense of urgency to become engaged in the content as well as meet deadlines. I also know that I can ask for help without drawing attention to myself in a live classroom environment. Indeed, these are great benefits to participating in a virtual classroom.
However, with regards to establishing a virtual school - how do you empower traditional K-12students with their own learning while balancing emotional and other important social development?
Enable True Reciprocity for Certified Teachers:
Many reasons are given for why true reciprocity is not offered by most states. However, one reason not mentioned for why some teachers cannot become certified in certain states is that they can not meet the licensing standards. I have known a handful of teachers who left PA because they could not get certified here. How would the decision be made where to place the bar and what requirements must be met in order to be certified to teach anywhere? If not the state, would the NEA take responsibility for creating nationwide standards?
Although it is no longer enough to focus on mastering the core subjects, where does the teaching of 21st century skills come in when dealing with schools that are not currently proficient in these core subjects?
Stanley,
You ask an interesting question about competing for faculty. When my wife quit her job to stay home with our kids, she took a job as a part-time, adjunct teacher so that she could work from home and she loved it. However, this year the IU decided to restructure and do away with the part-time positions and require all teachers to report directly to the IU. This of course entirely defeated the purpose of working from home, so she did not reapply. We've both been curious what the outcome is now that they are competing for full-time teachers. Are the positions attractive enough to get the best teachers or are they getting new teachers who didn't get hired anywhere else?
Hi Ben:
You make a very interesting comment when you write, "where does the teaching of 21st century skills come in when dealing with schools that are not currently proficient in these core subjects?"
I think that there is a major disconnect among teachers in schools are are struggling to meet proficiency targets in core subjects - it is very difficult to make the connection from using technology to foster 21st Century skills to improved student achievement. Many of these schools who are lagging in achievement in core subjects are the very schools that need the right resources to ensure that teachers can effectively do their jobs.
Hi Stanley,
To your question about part-time vs. full-time virtual school teachers: I hope that my report did not mislead you. It's not that there aren't full-time virtual school teaching opportunities (FL Virtual has several hundred). It's just that part-time is also an option.
Hi Linda,
Thanks for your question and comments on virtual schooling. I'm actually interested in your answers to your questions about social/emotional development. Personally, I think that full-time virtual schools will remain a valuable, but small niche. I think it's much more likely that we'll see all sorts of blended and hybrid models that allow students to have the benefits from both virtual and place-based learning. A
Hi Balthof,
Your question on reciprocity is important. There are a few dimensions here. First, I'd set a higher bar with guidelines for online teaching skills -- I'd see these as essential. Second, you'd have to go state-by-state and look at the certification guidelines. I can see an argument made for a state that has very unique requirements. But, when you think about most of these requirements, many make it impossible (both time-consuming and very expensive) for that teacher to teach in another state. And, it's a real barrier to offering classes with students from many states.
How will charter schools be integrated into public education in the future, perhaps ten or more years from now? What is the vision for charter schools?
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