Now you're getting Wiggy with it
That’s a 67% failure rate. Can you imagine this level of failure being tolerated anywhere else in society?
In fairness you can win a batting title with that kind of failure rate.
Other than that though, no it isn't tolerated in many places.
67% failure rate...kind of sounds like the Democrats' results in presidential elections for much of the past 50 years or so.
Why limit school choise to just Milwaukee? There are poor communities in every city and of every ethnic culture. Shouldn't they have a choise also? Why do you need a "failing" school district to qualify? If competition is good medicine for school districts to achieve better results, perhaps a good dose of capitalist modeling would save or improve public education.
Steve Edlund, join the club (you're member # 2.)
Note that "conservative commentators" NEVER bring up the possibility of 'school choice for all,' because (to be honest) it's a conservative "wedge" into the voting bloc of the liberals.
That's exactly how Thompson managed it and that's exactly how they intend to continue.
You want to one up? State-wide school choice, close down MPS, fire the teachers' union there, re-open as a system of "charter" schools.
Sorry James,
I have a differing viewpoint. What makes capitalism work is competition. He who has the best value gets the lions share. No standard for a baseline, such as improved education, and we go full circle with inefficiency, but with a different brand of product.
Isn't that what I'm pushing for? More competition? More production from the best producing production line?
I'll give the corporate example, one that's pretty real to me:
One production line is losing money. The other production line is producing a higher quality product at a lower cost. The corporation comes in and shuts down the losing production line and either shifts production to the better line or recreates the better line. These are really the only options left to us in dealing with education in Milwaukee.
I am a fan of choice but I think no strings attached is a dangerous position. Would it not be OK for a Muslim school to set up shop and preach "Death to America" and encourage children to martyr themselves under the no strings attached mindset. The good choice schools in Milwaukee have no problem with performance testing etc. Raise or eliminate the CAP but insist on the same accountability and access that exist in public schools.
But we have what you fear now. A tenured MPS teacher is pretty much free to teach (or not teach) whatever they like in their classroom. We have schools that actually pull kids out of class to participate in "non-partisan" voter registration drives.
Let's be realistic about this. If our fear is kids learning to hate America, then let's cut off contributions from the Saudi government to various "charitable" entities around the country.
Other than that, I have less fear of an uncivil ethos coming out of a school choice school than I do from an Oakland Public School.
As your "correspondent", I feel the need to respond. First, I'd just like to say that it's excellent to have a debate like this about the issue... as demonstrated by recent action by public officials and pundits, there hasn't been much true discussion about what's best for the students of Milwaukee.
It's also refreshing to see that you (correct me if I'm wrong) wouldn't mind to see the public system abolished in favor of a free-market, choice system.
One of the major problems with school choice that I haven't seen addressed is that it's parents, not students making the "choice" to attend a school out of the district. Unfortunately, in parts of the MPS district, there are parents who couldn't care less where their kids go to school. Unfortunately, not all parents care enough (or have the time... with a strained family or work situation) to put much thought into their children's education.
I think that's our true difference. You say that it's the parent that "we trust would know best". That's a broad assumption... I argue that's (again EXTREMELY UNFORTUNATELY) not true. Sometimes school is the refuge for a child who's home situation is less than desirable.
Therefore, there will always be kids who are left out of the system. If I thought every kid in Milwaukee would benefit from the choice system, I'd be all for it. But, I fail to see the logic that public schools will simply improve
Plus, there's a niche for a public system that educates all students can attend... including those who may not be accepted to private schools for one reason or another. Public schools can be the building blocks of a community... providing structure and programming (beyond classes) in an environment close to a student's home.
I completely agree that a 67% failure rate is unacceptable... and that MAJOR reform to the system is required. And school choice may be part of the solution... but I'm not yet convinced. I just don't want to see the growth of private school education to be the death of public schools. They're just too valuable.
"You want to one up? State-wide school choice, close down MPS, fire the teachers' union there, re-open as a system of "charter" schools."
Thats a great idea in principle, but as Mike previously stated what about the students lack parental support at home. I presume they will fail in the charter school just as they did at MPS. Second, the anecdote about a successful coropations is cute, but not applicable. WHen companies have failing product lines, first they address the problems of those lines, i.e. poor materials. Now, this MPS corporation, its output is an educated student, therefore its material is the student. MPS canont simply up and change prodcution lines by moving to Brookfield or Whitefish Bay. It is limited by the people that attend the school. Second, America itself is not a true capitalist nation, why then do you expect the school to operate in such a fashion. Look at Amtak for example, the farming, the steel industry. Need more examples of failing companies that were bailed out? Third, when stats come out saying, it take X dollars to educate a student, that is not a literal figure. Its just a convient way to display the budget. Correct me if I am wrong, but I am sure schools operate on economies of scale. Therefore, removing money for individual students hurts the students left behind, not the institution or the teachers union some accuse Democrates of only looking out for. You may gladly forsake the remaining students, but I simply cannot. Especially when the solution is not as simply send them to private school. Fourth, an all charter/private school system in Milwaukee? I dont believe the city has the infrastructure for that. Additionally, when funds are diverted to build this, where do they come from, MPS schools trying educate? And when you infuse large amounts of MPS students into the existing private schools, where do the kids that currently attend the private school go? There are such things as school capcities. So the kid that planend on going to private school now has to attend public...is that not the problem you are trying to avoid? Lastly:
"We have schools that actually pull kids out of class to participate in "non-partisan" voter registration drives."
Do you have anything to support this claim?
Short answer to Chris. Why yes, Chris, I do. Don't you read my blog on a regular basis? You would have learned that public schools throughout south eastern Wisconsin pulled kids to participate in a "non-partisan" voter registration drive.
Here is a list of the MPS schools:
http://
wigdersonlibrarypub.blogs...outrageous.html
You see, I don't have to make things up. Life's too outrageous as it is. I just let it happen and comment on it.
You say we don't have the infrastructure to support a complete charter system. I have to disagree. we have all the bricks and mortar we need, and then some. Understand the difference between a charter school and a private school.
Eventually there may be the capacity within the private school system to handle half or even three quarters of MPS. Look at how much the choice system has grown to increase capacity. Look too at the possibility of virtual schools and that potential.
As for blaming the parents and the kids, well, that's what you have to work with. And everytime I hear that it sounds like the school system is giving up on those kids before any private school system would. Why? Because the private school system would be judged on the results. The public school system is judged by whether or not the teachers are unhappy.
We need to radically re-think education if we're going to save these kids. Mike Westling argues public schools are just too valuable to lose. I would argue they're just too destructive to keep.
From Chris B’s comment…
Correct me if I am wrong, but I am sure schools operate on economies of scale. Therefore, removing money for individual students hurts the students left behind
While I understand this principle, I don’t believe that it is a valid argument.
If economies of scale were an underlying primary contributor to the high budget numbers we see then please explain to me why we have so many elementary schools operating that don’t have a big enrollment. I believe that fiscally it would be extremely cost effective to shutter under-enrolled schools and have those students attend any number of other schools that have the capacity. Other than Golda Meir and some of the other high end specialty schools how many MPS elementary schools are at 95% capacity or higher? 90% - 80%? And if most elementary schools are at or near capacity now, were will MPS place 7,000 or so elementary children (assuming the half of the 15,000 in choice are elementary students) if WEAC gets its way and kills the choice program. And, if MPS can easily absorb 15,000 students with out too many headaches, then the school board has not done their job in relation to economies of scale.
RRFan, the more you post, the more it seems that you're a troll--on this issue, as well as on CornAHole.
Your "Muslim Firebomber School" offering is, ah, flawed. Think that the FBI/DHS folks might be interested in those rumors? I do.
When "no holds barred" choice emerges from the stinking pile now legislated, the public schools will not only remain--they will remain viable and likely more competitive. "No holds barred" only means that the silly income/residence rules go away, as well as ALL caps.
What will happen? Many (not all) private, Catholic, and Lutheran schools will fill up rapidly. There will be a few more established in SE Wisconsin, the Valley, and Madistan. But the publics will NOT lose more than 50% of their population--precisely for the reason that was articulated above: many parents simply don't give a rat's patoot about their children, nor about their education.
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