I wish faith-based schools, many of which have served urban communities and low-income families admirably for decades, could be seen more as partners than outsiders in a system of 21st Century schools that will educate our students. What we need perhaps most in American education are more high quality, replicable[Read More…]
Tag: private schools
Wishing for more common ground in school choice, education reform debates
A recent headline in the Charlotte Observer offers inspiration this season. “Compete and cooperate,” the newspaper wrote of charter, district and private schools there, “A new direction for Mecklenburg schools.” This is not a fictional account and it turns on a basic truth about education reform: Despite the caverns that sometimes separate those[Read More…]
To better protect children, private schools in Florida should get safety alerts, too
by James Herzog Sadly, if we hear even once about a tragedy like the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings last week in Newtown, Conn., it is once too much. We all want answers to ensure parents can take their children to school each day and remain confident that learning will occur in[Read More…]
A better definition of public education, a better debate about what we want from it
In a recent post, I argued that because customized teaching and learning have so blurred the lines between public, private and homeschooling, it is now most practical to define public education as education which satisfies each state’s mandatory school attendance law. We require students to be educated to achieve a[Read More…]
Florida Catholic schools embrace Common Core, hope to take FCAT
Florida Catholic schools are embracing Common Core academic standards and seriously considering whether to take the coming state tests aligned to them. In the meantime, their leaders say, 30 to 40 Catholic schools want to administer the FCAT in 2014, in what would be a trial run for potential transition to Common Core[Read More…]
Florida roundup: Tony Bennett, voucher testing, Newtown reverberations & more
Not the best fit. Andy Ford, president of the Florida teachers union, says in this Q&A with the Orlando Sentinel that Tony Bennett is “the best fit for the Jeb Bush power structure, but not the best choice for Florida’s students, parents and school employees.” Board of Education member Kathleen[Read More…]
New group aims to create pipeline of black school leaders, entrepreneurs in Florida
In an effort aimed at boosting black student achievement, a new group is forming in Florida to develop a cadre of black entrepreneurs and executives to lead high-quality schools, including charter and private schools. Black Floridians C.A.R.E. – which stands for Choice Advocates Reforming Education – is chaired by T. Willard[Read More…]
Catholic school reform takes root in Florida
Students know their priorities the moment they enter St. Joseph Catholic School. A sign by the front door reads, “Our Goals: College. Heaven.’’ Inside the West Tampa school’s cafeteria, boys and girls gather for Holy Karaoke, a morning program that encourages them to dance and sing, and focus on the[Read More…]