Educational Alternatives...

I think that charter schools and essential schools are right on target. The schools are smaller in size which allows for more personal learning and attention from the teacher. I like the concept of personalized academic achievement, this gives the student and his/her parents some control on were the student is heading in the future. Charter schools allow for more parent involvement in the running of their school. This creates the need for parents to become more involved, which directly affects test score!
My son attends a charter school here in Greeley. So far we have been so impressed with his education. We like the fact that the teachers have a lot more responsibility in the classroom. They pick out their own curriculum and lesson plans. I like this because I feel like my sons teacher knows his learning style better than the administration. His teacher is in the classroom every day and know what works and doesn't. Also, each teacher is evaluated every year, this keeps the teachers motivated! As a parent I have a voice in the decisions that the school makes, collectively as parents we steer our school in the direction we want it to go. A charter school involves a lot more parent involvement which I think directly affects test scores. If the nation wants it's students to do better, get the parents involved, mandate it! Another benefit of a charter or essential school is the class size. My son has 21 kids in his class compared to at least 32 in district six. Smaller class size allows the teacher more opportunities for one on one learning. Smaller class size and parent involvment spell sucess to me!