Educators Unite- Reflection on "The Myth of Charter Schools"

Diane Ravitch in "The Myth of Charter Schools" describes how the film Waiting for Superman is written by a private elite school graduate with incorrect facts.  So what now?  Now that we know the truth about this slanderous film which was viewed by the nation, how can we let America know that our public schools largely successful compared to their charter school and even global counterparts?  Schools need to start getting positive attention, lawmakers need to be educated on education, the truth about high stakes testing and charter schools needs to be revealed, and their needs to be shared accountability between parents, students, communities, politicians, teachers, and schools.

Public schools need to start gaining national attention.  It should be a responsibility of every public school teacher & employee to invite the nation into the school to see the amazing work that goes on.  With every lesson that goes above and beyond a textbook teachers need to invite in the media, parents, lawmakers, and community.  Democrats, republicans, and independents need to see struggles, successes, achievements, and even failures of public schools that are real and not manufactured as in Waiting for Superman.

It would be nice to have someone in office who supports the education of the United States.  A lawmaking official who stops blaming the educational system they've created, and instead supports the system with funding, professional development, positive publicity, and a community of support.  Teaching is a political profession.   For example, in the state of Maine there is around 20,000 members of the Maine Education Association.  It is not acceptable to have an elected Maine governor who slanders education, grades schools districts unfairly, and claims that private schools are the only good schools in Maine.  With an election approaching, and three candidates, Maine needs to unite around a single candidate for governor, one who's own sister is a teacher, and who has visited classrooms (including mine). Maine's educational candidate for governor is Michaud.

The truth about high stakes testing needs to be revealed.  On a global scale, the United States is continuously compared to China.  In an interview with Yong Zhao, Joan Richardson uncovers truths about China's education system that the United States needs to be made aware of.  Zhao encourages the United States to continue to support the public schools in a more in-depth way rather than trying to change to a standardized test model like China.    Richards points out one of the most prominent ideas in the book is that, "developed nations like the United States should not be following developing nations like China. We got where we are by being leaders, and now it appears that we’re turning around to follow those who are trying to catch up with us."  As American's we needs to have confidence in the public schools that we have created because we became international leaders that way.  Instead of shunning the system, the communities and politicians should be supporting the system.

The truth about charter schools was clearly outlined in this article.   Ravich points out that only 1 in 5 charter schools even get amazing results.  That is only 20%.  A study reported that in charter schools, "student progress on math tests in half the nation’s five thousand charter schools and concluded that 17 percent were superior to a matched traditional public school; 37 percent were worse than the public school; and the remaining 46 percent had academic gains no different from that of a similar public school."  We can not buy into charter schools with such a terrible success rate.  It would be expensive and detrimental to the rural areas in our country.


There needs to be accountability for parents and students again.  We need a country that agrees that success is what you make it.  That in order to be successful, you need to work hard. As a nation isn't that what we are still all about?  As Ravich states,"There was a time—which now seems distant—when most people assumed that students’ performance in school was largely determined by their own efforts and by the circumstances and support of their family, not by their teachers."

With any purchase comes investment.  Community members, politicians feel like they have paid for education time and time again and are frustrated by that.  However, there needs to be continued investment.  The investment is not only money it includes giving public schools positive attention by taking the time to actually step foot in the schools.   Lawmakers need to invest time into researching education.  The truth about high stakes testing and charter schools needs to be revealed, and their needs to be an investment in our students by continued accountability by everyone involved.