When I first read that more than 11,000 kids were in the recent charter school lotteries, I had to do a double take. Only about 21% of those students would be chosen in the lottery.
This may be difficult for us to wrap our minds around. I try to think back to when I was applying to schools. In Middle School, my parents applied for me to attend a private school. At the age of 11, I had no idea of the process. Looking back, I was too young to endure the stress of the application process and the waiting period. However, the children who are in the charter school lottery are as young as four years old. Four year old children cried because their names were not called. Children should be enjoying their childhood, not crying that they were denied entry to a school due to a lottery.
This article hit close to home, literally. It talks about children in Brooklyn. Growing up in Brooklyn, we were always looking for the best public schools to attend. Now, charter schools seem like an alternative to the public schools for some parents. However, some parents are getting their hearts broken by a lottery, which is something that was not all that common during my days in Brooklyn.
It is such a shame that children and their parents see a large part of their future riding on getting into a charter school. Compared to the number of students in the lottery, a measly percent actually become enrolled in the schools. If a child does not get in, as it can be seen in the article, they become upset and immediately start looking for alternatives or signing for the lottery for next year.
It saddens me that people believe the only hope their child has for a quality education is to go to a charter school. The public schools in our country should be providing an education that meets the parents and children's standards. Instead of turning our focus to building charter schools, maybe we should be trying to improve the public ones so children do not have to worry about getting into a school for a decent education.
The unique enrollment process that charters have utilized in regards to the lottery drawing is one that demonstrates the urgency and desperation many parents have to see to it that their child is provided with the best educational experience they could have. There is a lot more on the line than you would find in a traditional lottery, as this is not about obtaining money or wealth, but about the future of children and the hopes that they will be admitted into the charter system. A large number of students come together with their parents to participate in these lotteries, and knowing that there are only a few select spots available given the charter, some parents will leave with a newfound sense of hope for their child while many will be left in disappointment, and often tears, to wonder where they will have to turn for their child's education.
For many parents, they feel as if it is the charter system or "bust" in a sense. It wouldn’t be hard to see the parents of the children who didn’t get selected into a charter envisioning that now their child has no choice but to go back to a situation where their child and/or the school might be failing, and that is a viewpoint that no parent deserves to have. When parents and students alike feel that they have to place their hopes on the luck of a draw to get into the charter school system or risk being let down on, then you know something has to change within the public school system so everyone feels that they have an equal chance to succeed.
I hear it in the news so often. It is so sad when you hear parents who are upset and most of the times not receiving a spot for their children. How sad is it if you find out that your child did not get into school? Or you can give your child the education they deserve? When Kappa Eta went to the convocation in Indianapolis last week, they presented a workshop about Charter Schools and Public School. We simulated a lottery activity with the workshop attendees. Each attendee received a lottery ticket and a situation. As each number was called out, people whop got into our school were happy and those that did not, had to read their situations out loud. As we called out lottery ticket numbers, people were feeling some of the same emotions parents would have felt. During our presentation, we also showed a video about a lottery system for a school in Buffalo, NY. It showed parents and children upset if they didn;t get called. THIS IS REAL! I think what we need to realize is that child's education is not a game- something to be played with. We need to focus on the now and the next step. How can we make education better in America? Charter Schools have stemmed from frustration created by public schools. They are not the right answer but maybe a positive step forward in finding that golden ticket or right answer.
When I first read that more than 11,000 kids were in the recent charter school lotteries, I had to do a double take. Only about 21% of those students would be chosen in the lottery.
ReplyDeleteThis may be difficult for us to wrap our minds around. I try to think back to when I was applying to schools. In Middle School, my parents applied for me to attend a private school. At the age of 11, I had no idea of the process. Looking back, I was too young to endure the stress of the application process and the waiting period. However, the children who are in the charter school lottery are as young as four years old. Four year old children cried because their names were not called. Children should be enjoying their childhood, not crying that they were denied entry to a school due to a lottery.
This article hit close to home, literally. It talks about children in Brooklyn. Growing up in Brooklyn, we were always looking for the best public schools to attend. Now, charter schools seem like an alternative to the public schools for some parents. However, some parents are getting their hearts broken by a lottery, which is something that was not all that common during my days in Brooklyn.
It is such a shame that children and their parents see a large part of their future riding on getting into a charter school. Compared to the number of students in the lottery, a measly percent actually become enrolled in the schools. If a child does not get in, as it can be seen in the article, they become upset and immediately start looking for alternatives or signing for the lottery for next year.
ReplyDeleteIt saddens me that people believe the only hope their child has for a quality education is to go to a charter school. The public schools in our country should be providing an education that meets the parents and children's standards. Instead of turning our focus to building charter schools, maybe we should be trying to improve the public ones so children do not have to worry about getting into a school for a decent education.
The unique enrollment process that charters have utilized in regards to the lottery drawing is one that demonstrates the urgency and desperation many parents have to see to it that their child is provided with the best educational experience they could have. There is a lot more on the line than you would find in a traditional lottery, as this is not about obtaining money or wealth, but about the future of children and the hopes that they will be admitted into the charter system. A large number of students come together with their parents to participate in these lotteries, and knowing that there are only a few select spots available given the charter, some parents will leave with a newfound sense of hope for their child while many will be left in disappointment, and often tears, to wonder where they will have to turn for their child's education.
ReplyDeleteFor many parents, they feel as if it is the charter system or "bust" in a sense. It wouldn’t be hard to see the parents of the children who didn’t get selected into a charter envisioning that now their child has no choice but to go back to a situation where their child and/or the school might be failing, and that is a viewpoint that no parent deserves to have. When parents and students alike feel that they have to place their hopes on the luck of a draw to get into the charter school system or risk being let down on, then you know something has to change within the public school system so everyone feels that they have an equal chance to succeed.
I hear it in the news so often. It is so sad when you hear parents who are upset and most of the times not receiving a spot for their children. How sad is it if you find out that your child did not get into school? Or you can give your child the education they deserve?
ReplyDeleteWhen Kappa Eta went to the convocation in Indianapolis last week, they presented a workshop about Charter Schools and Public School. We simulated a lottery activity with the workshop attendees. Each attendee received a lottery ticket and a situation. As each number was called out, people whop got into our school were happy and those that did not, had to read their situations out loud. As we called out lottery ticket numbers, people were feeling some of the same emotions parents would have felt.
During our presentation, we also showed a video about a lottery system for a school in Buffalo, NY. It showed parents and children upset if they didn;t get called. THIS IS REAL!
I think what we need to realize is that child's education is not a game- something to be played with. We need to focus on the now and the next step. How can we make education better in America? Charter Schools have stemmed from frustration created by public schools. They are not the right answer but maybe a positive step forward in finding that golden ticket or right answer.