The New York Times has an article about a new study that shows that charter schools arn’t all they’re cracked up to be.
The study, based on data from 2003 on students’ performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, found charter school students significantly behind their non-charter-school counterparts.
The article points out that:
They should instead home in on the all-important but largely neglected issue of teacher training and preparation — which trumps everything when it comes to improving student achievement.
The No Child Left Behind Act emphasises highly qualified teachers. What it does not address sufficiently is that there is a huge gap between knowing the subject matter and being a good teacher. As someone who’s been through both public and private schools, I know first hand that having a good teacher is the single biggest factor in the education of children.
While many school districts have ‘proffesional development’ programs, I don’t think any of them recieve the time or funding needed.
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