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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Local KIPP School has some explaining to do

First I take no joy in pointing out struggling schools and I believe the KIPP School given time will improve. The problem is this school with much fanfare was all but declared a savior of education. The reality however is much different. Their scores were some of the worse in the county.

KIPP schools have more resources funneled into them than public schools and can put requirements on their students and their families that the public schools can’t but at the end of the day they don’t do much better. Charter schools are not the magic bullet they are being described as. If you google charter school problems you will get thousands of stories from all across the nation that describe financial malfeasance and poor results, yet this is what our legislature is pushing. I can’t help but wonder if they are doing so because many of the charter schools are for profit and this can line the pockets of their contributors and friends.

And don’t forget Arne Duncan visited this school and gave then a half million dollars for a music program (while public music programs are being eliminated) and Rick Scott signed the teacher merit pay bill their too. I wonder what these believers in school privatization are saying now.

Given time the KIPP School will probably improve but imagine how much better our public schools would be if we put the same level of resources into them.

1 comment:

  1. I had no idea that Arne Duncan visited the school. The test scores don't say anything about the music program either. Yes, this school "has some explaining to do."

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