My First Post- The Transition

Entry 1- Monday, July 5, 2010- The Transition

With the transition from my traditional public high school in Dallas to a charter in New Orleans looming, the anticipation grows for both myself and other curious onlookers. My decision to move into charters has been both intriguing and puzzling to many fellow educators, particularly when they hear about the extended hours that my new school demands. (When I mentioned my start date at my new school, July 12, one colleague had to pick his jaw up from the floor. He could only muster the words, “But you’re a school teacher!”) I hope that this, my inaugural entry to what I hope will be an ongoing blog, will shed some light on the situation.

I entered into the field of education with the purpose of serving those children who need it the most: urban students deemed “high risk”, and prove their ability to learn. Over the last three years at a traditional public high school in Dallas, I have learned that urban students are not only capable of learning, but most actually want to learn. They are overflowing with potential that yearns to be fulfilled. They are smart, compassionate, and persevering, but they are underserved. Through all of my struggles with overwhelming bureaucracy, poor district and school-wide policies, and sometimes outright incompetency, I could not escape one recurring thought: There has to be a better way.

That is when I began to read up on charters, public schools with private money, receiving near limitless autonomy while serving a public school population. Growing up among school teachers in the vast political blue sea of the Pacific Northwest, charter schools were not only seen as the enemy, they were a mere afterthought to a dominant public school system. Still, the systemic flaws in the traditional public school system prodded me as I weighed the options. My mind reeled. Charters: a mere replacement of a failed voucher system? Probably. Charters: a move towards privatization? Possibly. Charters: the end of the public school as we know it? Perhaps. But at this point, is that necessarily a bad thing? I wondered…

For those who have not followed the news about New Orleans schools, let’s get up to speed. Before Hurricane Katrina, public schools in New Orleans were among some of the worst in the country. In the wake of the hurricane, the city had a unique opportunity to hit the figurative reset button on public education. A new system was instated, largely based on the emergence of charter schools. Today, New Orleans has 60% of students enrolled in charter schools, the highest percentage in the country by far. (I believe DC public schools are the runner up, with about 35% in charters.) The city has become a laboratory for innovative practices in education. I am looking forward to being a test rat.

I must emphasize that my opinions on charter schools as a whole is still being formed, but I believe that my firsthand experience in New Orleans will only help to clarify my beliefs about educational policy. Ideology and politics aside, I want to know what is best for kids. There is a huge segment of our population that is being shortchanged. We must figure out how to get the greatest resources to those children who need it most. Are charters a part of the answer? I am looking for the answer.