The Debate over "Waiting for Superman"

I am reporting live from an online chat with Dr. Hewitt, Dr. Woody and Dr. Lashley. They are participating in a mock debate over a controversial documentary, “Waiting for Superman” directed by Davis Guggenheim. This documentary depicts the realities and conditions of the public school system while suggesting charter schools provide a more quality education for American students. Dr. Hewitt is pro charter schools debating from the parent and community perspectives while her opponent, Dr. Woody is a proponent for public school debates from the school and district perspectives. Dr. Lashley, a well-known author and professor, discusses the legal viewpoint of the film.

Dr. Woody suggests that the film has a very negative tone toward the public schools. He argues that charter school does not address three major areas. First, it does not address historical inequalities and he concludes charter school creates more inequalities. Secondly, he mentioned public school hire quality teachers and the charter school uses the business model to hire teachers. Lastly, charter schools do not consider the well-being of children.

Dr. Hewitt makes a strong comeback by first criticizing Dr. Woody that he has a closed mind since he is a public school employee. One of her perspectives was that parents should have the options to choice what educational resources are in the best interest of their children.  She thinks school of choice is a civil right.  She quotes “it is not fair to subject a child, family and community to failing schools”. She argues that charters and school of choice break the cycle and is a chance to give students a brighter future.

Dr. Lashley discussed the charter school or school of choice movement, which has given rise by a Chubb and Moe book.  He stated, “A Charter Bill was passed and it limited to one hundred charter schools in North Carolina”. Recently, the cap has been lifted. He stressed that many opponents of charter schools feel that the money is taken from traditional public schools and it goes directly to charter schools. The per student expenditure is taking from the public school budget.

The debate over the effectiveness of charter schools continues to be an issue for many educational scholars and leaders.  Are students at charter school demonstrating better achievement verses the students in traditional public schools? On the contrary, many scholars and leaders believe parents should have the choice to select good schools for their children and charter schools increase student achievement. Should parents and families have the option to choose what schools are best for their children?

It is a Constitutional right that all children are entitled to a free and appropriate education. The question is what constitutes an appropriate education and when it is not provided what are the options? Many parents, educational leaders, politicians and philanthropist truly deem the charter school movement is necessary. It gives hope for a better education and future for all children.  As a society, what are we doing to prevent failing traditional public schools? Failing schools and students perpetuate greater societal issues and we, Americans, must be willing to address failing schools now.

Tech "Bytes" Me

I have been introducd to many new Web 2.0 tools. During my exploration, I discovered how to use Twitter, Blog, Edmoto, Survey Monkey and ooVoo. I found this new learning to be challenging, as well as exciting. It has given me a new zeal for technology and has taught me the importance of being able to model these skills with staff and students. One of my professors recently stated, "Knowledge is Power". How many times have we used this cliche only to say empty words? This knowledge has inspired me as an administrator to improve teaching and learning for our 21st century students.

Consequently, my most powerful lesson is how my perception has changed about technology use.It is important for educators to integrate technological skills and dispositions to improve student achievement and success. As a school leader, I must be willing to lead by example through modeling my new experiences with teachers and students. It has force me to reflect on my practice and to increase my technological pedagogy.

Students Taking Online Courses More Likely to Fail

I read an article in neatoday that was very interesting.  Columbia University conducted a recent study and found that students who took online courses were more likely to fail or drop out of the course than students who took the same course in person.  Distance education class may not be appropriate for all students.

Oct 18, 2011

This is my first time blogging and I am excited about this new venture.  My goal is to post educational laws and current school policies and information I learned from my graduate class.