charter wrath

[Emma Lind]

i wish my school "spent thousands of dollars on plane tickets, restaurant meals and alcohol"...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/education/26charters.html?pagewanted=1&hp

just kidding. student achievement! :)

[Aidan Kelly]

Ugh, what a terrible waste.

Also: “We don’t have enough oversight, and that is clear,” said State Senator Bill Perkins, a Harlem Democrat and charter critic. “I’m not suggesting that this is rampant, but it undermines the integrity of the public’s faith in charters.”

Bill Perkins is a terrible waste, too.

[Daniel Carroll]

tl;dr, but on this note, KIPP sends all of its teachers to a retreat at some 4 seasons in the south every summer.  I also feel like the "batphones" many charters give teachers for student/parent calls are a giant waste.

[Paras Bhayani]

I have no textbooks but I have a SmartBoard -- which usually functions as a supercool whiteboard.

On the positive side, many charters actually listen to their teachers -- our administration is currently buying math textbooks for next year simply because the we explained why we wanted them.

--
Paras Bhayani
Cell: 708.439.3107

[Ramya Parthasarathy]

I have had no door on my classroom for the last three weeks.  But I could definitely use a "batphone"...

--
--
Ramya Parthasarathy

rmparth...@gmail.com
r.parth...@post.harvard.edu

408.981.6061

[Aidan Kelly]

I've heard that the KIPP summit is really useful, but that might just be because my friends in KIPP schools like going to San Antonio or Orlando. For a network like that, though, I imagine the benefits of getting all their teachers together for a conference might outweigh the costs. After all, the most successful networks--like Uncommon and KIPP--spend a ton of time and money on teacher development.

Trips to the Caribbean? Not so much. If that's happening in NY I'm scared to think of what might happen in Louisiana...

Also, what's a "textbook?" Also, what's a "hallway?" I have no experience with these things.

[Daniel Carroll]

I've heard KIPP summit is a boozefest... but maybe that's just because I have alcoholic KIPP friends.

On a sort of connected note... the next time you guys are in Boston, you should definitely go visit the Uncommon Schools around there.  I spent a day at Excel Academy and a day at Roxbury Prep, and those schools are just jaw-droppingly awesome (Excel in particular).

-dcc

[Aidan Kelly]

On a very connected note, if you guys ever have a chance to hear Uncommon guru Doug Lemov speak, take it. His four hour session for the TFA/TFA alum community in NOLA was amazing.

The school I'm going to next year was founded by a Lemov/Uncommon protege, and I'm tingling with excitement at the thought of being able to do the kinds of things I see go on in those classrooms.

[Daniel Carroll]

RIGHT IS RIGHT

[Aidan Kelly]

WHAT ARE YOUR POLITICS?