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Archive for the tag “charter schools”

Schools Bucking The System

Exciting things are suddenly happening in education. In some places, charter schools bucked the unions and got results, while in others, inner-city kids are doing well on benchmark tests.

John Stossel reports on the innovations at the Success Charter Network in New York and American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland, Calif. “Let’s destroy the system and create a system that serves kids,” says charter school director Deborah Kenny. Hurricane Katrina made that experiment possible by destroying much of New Orleans. Now 70 percent of New Orleans students attend charters, and they’re learning more. Here’s the rest of the story with Stossel.

Teachers’ Unions Vs. Students

If teachers’ unions get to decide, your child’s school won’t be open soon. In the last year, unions have shown their true colors, placing their own interests ahead of both science and students.

The unions claim COVID-19 render schools too dangerous for teachers. That may be true for elderly teachers, but overall, reopening schools is safe. Heritage Education researcher Lindsey Burke tells John Stossel that a study of 191 countries reveals there is no consistent link between reopening schools and increased rates of virus transmission. “Schools are not COVID hotspots,” he says. 

Closed schools hurt students, especially poorer kids, because they can’t afford the alternatives available to the privileged. For example, California closed government-run schools, while governor Gavin Newsom sent his kids to a private school that’s open. And in Oregon, the state teachers’ union even blocked students from transferring to virtual charters, schools that pose no COVID risk. So why do unions support closures that hurt students and won’t make people safer? It’s about money and power. Here’s more with Stossel.

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