• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!
  • Welcome to our archives. No new posts are allowed here.

are options schools good for public education?

F

FallingPianos

In oregon at least, options schools are becoming much more common. They are devided into 3 main types. All options schools recieve the same amount of funding per student as the main public schools, and all have the same graduation requirements.

alternative schools:
these are geared towards students who do not do well in traditional schools. They usually have a smaller number of students, and emphasise community-like environment for students, and closer relationships between students and teachers. students have to apply and be admitted.

magnet schools:
these are usually geared for students with certain interests. I went to a science and technology magnet school. like alternative schools, they often emphasise having a very safe community-like environment for students, and closer student-teacher relationships. students have to apply an be admitted

charter-schools: charter schools are often based on using non-traditional curriculum. one that just recently opened in oregon follows the MITCH curriculum. some percentage of the teachers (I believe half) are not required to have teaching licenses, but only degrees in the area they are teaching. if more students apply then there is room for, admittance is determed by a lottery.
 
I think they are, in that they allow the public schools to be more experimental and to offer alternatives to standard methodology-- without undermining the entire system the way that privatizing it would.
 
Korimyr the Rat said:
I think they are, in that they allow the public schools to be more experimental and to offer alternatives to standard methodology-- without undermining the entire system the way that privatizing it would.

yes, exactly. I also think its much better than a voucher system, because voucher systems give the government control over private schools. government money always comes with strings attached.
 
I think much could be learned from these experiments, as long as we remember that many who make the effort to go these schools come from families that are very supportive of education! The student's attitude may have more to do with the school's positive results than "magic methods"! I know as a teacher if I could pick out the kids with great attitudes most any decent teaching approach got great results! It was the kids! I could tell them, "Get on the computer and grab those books over there and explain to me how you could date an ancient ship using cambium and carbon 14 dating works?" They'd teach the lesson for me! Certainly an imaginative teacher that knows how to motivate kids is key. A teacher's knowledge and enthusiasm is critical. Teacher's must have a excellent education themselves, or the depth of knowledge is not there to bring color and life to a subject. Often it's the details, background and trivia that draw kids into loving a subject.

There is only one good method in teaching! The one that works best today! Judge a teaching method by what kids are learning, not by "rules" written by some (no longer teaching) educational philospher!
 
Last edited:
Alternative and magnet shools are good for education when run by the public schools.
However, ther is no worse thing that private schools. The exist simply to make a few people rich at the expense of the education of their students
and the unding of public schools.
 
Back
Top Bottom