A first in education reform today... a small, vocal Local School Council on the South Side voted to turn its own school into a charter.
PREDICTION: No charter school operator will take up this call to action. If one does, they deserve big time praise.
WHY am I so negative? As the FoxNews story shows below, there is actually little parent involvement at this school despite the small, vocal Council. It is quite hard to inherit a neighborhood school with poor history of parent involvement. Charter school operators prefer to start a brand new school, attracting only engaged parents who take the time to apply for their child.
But that should not discourage this small, vocal group in Pullman. Even if they don't become a charter, they have laid down the gauntlet. Something must change! If they persist, it is sure to have a positive effect on the neighborhood and improve options for students. We at Commons are really interested to see how this plays out.
And it encourages us to redouble our effort in our own neighborhoods -- to support parents and community residents to take up the fight for better education, to support all educators who are pushing for excellence.
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