"Charter schools are found in 43 states… Their equivalents in England, academies, were set up later, but have grown fast… These schools remain the great hope of education reformers in both countries—and beyond. But in both America and England, researchers have recently produced some troubling numbers. Although some charters and academies have achieved spectacular results, on average they appear to be little better than other schools," reports a recent article, “After Freedom, What?” in the August 27, 2016 edition of The Economist.
"The most innovative schools are currently re-thinking their focus on behavior management and relentless test preparation… The shift in emphasis also reflects a growing concern that even graduates of the best charter schools could be doing better. Like others, they often drop out of university and even more worrying, do not seem to be thriving at work… Charter schools need to work just as hard to develop children’s soft skills and character as to boost test scores."
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Comments (4)
Displaying All 4 CommentsKindergarten Teacher
Phoenix, AZ, United States
I would be curious to see a "report card" on US Catholic Schools. Although not as numerous as public schools, I'm sure their numbers are comparable to charter schools and worth noting.
CSBC
Denver, CO, United States
This is a strange article. I don't know about the academy schools in the UK, but the charter schools I know in the US do not focus on behavioral management or test scores. in fact, some are required to give tests that they don't choose to by the school district in which they are embedded. I do have a problem with British papers critiquing American schools (even though I am British).
kindergarten teacher
Vancouver, BC, Canada
"..develop children's soft skills and character..." needs to be more widely understood in children's education. and in the general culture. R. Steiner realized how important it was to prepare the human from the ground up to receive, and benefit, from the education (for the head) that follows. To paraphrase, the vessel needs to be well-built and sturdy before it can contain the contents poured into it...
Patricia Fraser
Lafourche Parish Head Start
Mathews, LA, United States
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