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The third group is more difficult to discuss, and I don't want to dismiss or demean, but I think of them as "the colonized." These are people from traditionally out-of-power groups who have decided to fully "play the game" of their oppressors. They tend to wear the charter school ideology around their necks the way certain Nigerians and Indians and other "citizens of the Empire" in the early 20th Century donned British powdered wigs and joined the colonial governments. It is tough to argue with much of what they say: They are looking to "save kids now." To open "real opportunities." To build "within the realities we have." And to argue with this is to engage in that oldest of battles among the colonized - do we achieve freedom and power on "their" terms, or "ours." Do we want our children to grow up as -and this will depend on the argument you are making - Brits and citizens of the world/Second-class Brits or to grow up as Nigerians, Indians, South Africans, Irish, Israelis/poor separatists in a global economy. As with most great issues, the answers are not clear cut, not "black and white," as they say. We want our identities, we want freedom and possibility based in our culture, and yet, yes, we also live and work in a world designed and controlled by the powerful. So when people like @dropoutnation argue for charters and vouchers as their "answer," it is not just a matter of being co-opted. They have convinced themselves that this is the only logical solution in the world they see now. And I can argue for greater faith in the future, for greater faith in diverse communities, but altering someone's fundamental world view is tough.

The common characteristics that I find in what I describe as "the best schools" (see primary and secondary), that is, schools which "work" for the broadest range of students, is student choice. These are schools which help students discover their path, not their parents' path. These are schools which are willing to help students find success even if their parents are incapable, or destructive, or just uninterested. Parent choice - the concept of charters and vouchers - is socially reproductive from the start.

great public schools have student choice. No two classes in the same grade or subject should be anything alike. No common reading lists or classroom management. No common grading system. No common organization. Ideally, even schedules should vary. Only with that kind of choice can students find what they need, not what even the most well-meaning adults find for them. And great public schools are being made impossible by "choice" advocates, who pull a certain segment of students out of the mix, reducing workable choices for those left behind. I'm a parent, and I like parents. But I've also known all kinds of parents, and I value children too much to leave all the decisions in parental hands.

latest technology tools

promise to ease the challenges

differentiating instruction more creatively and effectively

Bottom line is that we will see learners becoming responsible to their peers, audiences, and communities for their learning.  ..and that responsibility will not be based on a measure of their learning (how much or how well), but on what they have learned and what they can do with what they’ve learned.

Desks signify the “old guard” of education where people sat in their seats, listened, maintained compliance, and were forced to stare at the front of the room as an older individual barked information. Desks signify a form of education that created widgets and workers for factories where everyone was expected to perform the same rote task at the same time and finish at the same level of understanding.

Instead, we should be equipping all classrooms with a diverse mix of tables, couches, exercise balls, bar stool tables, and anything else that reminds us of something other than the traditional classroom. Every classroom should have a variety of these items and as many different combinations as possible. Why? Kids spend 6-7 hours a day in a classroom and every, single one looks the same. Same color, same shape, same seats. If not the same, they look pretty damned similar. It forces kids to think the same in every class and stunts any flow of creative juices that might be triggered by a change in environment. Who’s with me?

deep-seated wish to create escape routes from public education.

Since there is no way to know who will be an effective teacher

What if we could channel the financial and human resources spent on the machinery of high-stakes testing into a robust, widely distributed program of professional development?

Once a leader in a smaller district knows where he or she wants to go, change can happen more quickly than in a mid- or large-size district.

Freeman, who uses a blog to communicate with students and parents, points out that her own active use of technology in the 4,200-student district has helped create a norm for others to follow.

“The kind of learning we expect 21st-century teachers to achieve is the intersection of content pedagogy and technology,” Moran insists.

his web site, you probably already know this. The information and resources provided here have been compiled and organized to help you feel less overwhelmed.

About this Website This website was created as a public resource to meet a growing need for information on starting online education programs in the United States. The website is sponsored by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) and was developed by a project team of experts in the K-12 online education field. Your Guide to K-12 Online Learning Starting an online program is a daunting task which often can be overwhelming. If you have come to t

The majority of content on this site is intended for program administrators — the people that are either investigating the possibility of creating an online learning program or have already been assigned this task. The site also contains useful information for policy makers — state legislators, staff members at the state department of education, and district administrators who wish to establish a positive policy environment for online learning.