Is this something that needs to happen in New Jersey?
A hurricane that takes lives, destroys property and decimates the public school system?
Definitely not.
A clean break from the quagmire of poorly performing school districts all across the state followed by a fresh start?
Most certainly.
I'm not sure that charter schools with independent school boards are the answer, but with test scores that are at a vast discrepancy with education 'capitalization' (the Newark school system has the highest spending per student in the nation at more than $20,000 each while maintaining some of the worst scores) something has to be done.
What do you think is the best solution? Instituting charter schools? Increasing standards for hiring teachers? Breaking the teacher's unions? Eliminating tenure (one of my favorites)?
Simply put--What can be done to increase the quality of education in New Jersey?
2 comments:
I made a mistake in my comment earlier...
Teachers in NJ aren't paid as well as their qualifications warrant. In NYC you start at a base salary of $43,500 with contractile increases every 6 months. But in New Jersey, it could be as low as $24,000-28,000 (according to several of my co-workers). It's not the most supporting of conditions especially with the rising cost of living. Not many bachelor's will want to teach for that salary.
Charter schools are an interesting solution since it breaks apart the conglomerated bureaucracy of a unified department of education. A singular entity of education like that just forms a massive cesspool of disillusioned educators (a good number of them that have tenure) and apathetic students and families (especially in high-need areas like Newark).
Teacher unions generally are not a problem, but it really depends since if the teachers are abusing their privileges as union members then breaking up some unions wouldn't be a bad idea. Oversight is critical.
I feel like the real question isn't about whether we should implement charter schools but whether or not mainstreaming America's youth is effective or even worth the effort.
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