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In Michigan, school districts who wish to open up their doors to other students (usually those who have room for other students) are listed as Schools of Choice. Students from other districts who want to go there can apply to go there and the chosen district receives the state money for that student, rather than the original district. We have also had a host of charter schools open up. From my own observation, this is what is happening:
1. Students who are expelled from their original school go to schools of chioce or charter schools. so they just shuffle from school to school, wreaking havoc at each of them.
2. The local charter schools aren't meeting their AYP required in the NCLB act, in spite of the fact that when they opened, they were touted as being exceptional schools.
3. Students who are really poor can't afford transportation to the alternate choices of schools can't go to them.
The reality of the situation is, the best teachers in the universe can't help kids learn if they are hungry or malnutritioned, ill with no access to health care, don't have parental support, are living in crime infested neighborhoods where they can't sleep because of the gun fire outside and don't have heat, electricity or water in their living quarters. When teachers spend most of their time just keeping order in the classroom and worrying about whether they'll be shot or stabbed at work that day, children aren't going to learn much.
Let's do something about THAT and I bet the school situation will take care of itself.
Dee
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