Let’s call this the innovation issue of the Charters & Choice weekly news roundup. On tap are stories of innovative programs and design: teacher training in a charter school network, collaborations between districts and charters, and a story about how a home-schooling family renovated an old public school building into a house. But first, here’s this thought-provoking story from Pro Publica about the “innovative” ways a North Carolina businessman is making a profit off of the charter schools he runs:
Charter schools— a saga of education opportunities and opportunists ...
‘Undue influence, blah blah blah.’ Meet North Carolina’s charter school power broker: http://t.co/QWQlKuFq55
— ProPublica (@ProPublica) October 16, 2014
Often cast as foes, some district and charter schools are forging unique partnerships ...
We're in the process of opening over a dozen specialized programs for students with severe disabilities in charters," Denver Superintendent Tom Boasberg told me for a story in the latest edition of Education Week. "Within three years, our charters will have the exact same proportion of students with severe disabilities as our district-run schools."
A new approach to teacher training?
“The idea is that teachers, like doctors in medical residencies, need to practice repeatedly with experienced supervisors before they can be responsible for classes on their own,” writes The New York Times.
Front page @NYTimes on @Aspire teacher residency program. Great example of charter public school innovation. http://t.co/2HXwzbIrLH
— Alex Hernandez (@thinkschools) October 14, 2014
Are school vouchers a civil rights issue? Some parents in Memphis think so ...
Public schools for too long had a monopoly and children of lower-income status didn't have the option of going to a private school," said a rally attendee who was answered with shouts of "amen" from the audience, reports Chalkbeat Tennessee.
The ultimate home-schooling experience? Ed and Lynn Grabenstein not only home-schooled their four children, they did it in an old public school the couple converted into a house.
It's kind of a hybrid between a two-room schoolhouse and a small elementary school. ... We thought, 'We can remodel this as the home and have the school. It's the best of both worlds,'" Ed Grabenstein told The Detroit News. You have to check out the slideshow here.
And the kicker... lessons in comic books and coffee shops:
Can comic books be used to teach? http://t.co/8u9G3qUrsA via @HuffPostEdu pic.twitter.com/Hi4ws3vTWi
— Teach For America (@TeachForAmerica) October 14, 2014
If you come across a story you think should be included in a future Charters & Choice weekly news roundup, tweet me @ChartersNChoice.