Stop cheering on charter schools

This is an excellent commentary. It "tells it like it is" on behalf of teachers and students, but it is also not a "knee-jerk" liberal defense of the One-Party Democratic Party Machine status quo in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times is basically arguing the "respectable" Republican Party "line" on charter schools and the privatization of everything (the real heart and soul of so-called "conservatism" in Southern California is represented by the sick, openly racist comments posted here). Reform will never come from the racist-dominated Republican clique and the Democrats won't reform themselves. Independent action is needed.

Alex Walker @ 9:40 AM PDT, Jun 18, 2008

Matt, you should be ashamed of yourself. Do you have any alternatives or do you just enjoy highlighting how much you dislike and are fearful of charters? Getting rid of untenured teachers is easy - see Jordan High, but getting rid of ineffective teachers who contribute very little in the efforts of school reform movements within a school which is a PI what 7-8 is practically impossible and you know it.

sclateaher @ 8:04 PM PDT, Jun 17, 2008

Choice? Who are you kidding? You only have choice if you have money. And M. Pamais, I can can beat yours: the high school where I teach has upwards of 4,000 students (some years reaching 5,000). How many charter schools would it take to break up my high school? Who is going to foot that bill?

LAUSD Teacher @ 5:06 PM PDT, Jun 17, 2008

Carol, save your sickening PC, condescending advice, about "fear of others," "your children will have to learn to get along with them at work," BS. Stupidest of all, "Native born whites have gangs too." Really? On the westside? You're a white-guilt liberal (I'd wager, attached to your failed '60s"ideals." real kids be damned) who's an irrelevant joke. You and Taylor are would-be dictators guilty of taxation without representation, defying the the people. Anywhere outside of LA, even in nearby towns, it's a given that buying into a good area entitles one to a GOOD, safe school that the community is happy to go to.

jill @ 6:11 PM PDT, Jun 16, 2008

I am a math teacher at a inner-city school within LAUSD. I believe we are still the largest middle school in the United States. I am so sick of hearing how great charter schools are. Does anyone stop to think that public schools would improve if we were as small as all the charter schools are, which are typically below 300 students. My school last year had approximately 2,500 students. What are about class size in charter schools. How many students do they have in a classroom. Sometimes there are over 40 students in a class at my school.

M. Pamias @ 2:55 PM PDT, Jun 16, 2008

Mr. Taylor, What a pathetic last ditch effort to hang on to the crumbling system of keeping the status quo. Teacher unions were useful in the early 1900's but now they are 90% to blame for the pitiful, outdated, obsolete school system. Continue to fight change, not for the kids, but for your jobs. Choice and competition is good for everyone-why are you scared to remove the monopoly and compete with other entities in the best interests of the system?

Choice will bring change @ 2:11 PM PDT, Jun 16, 2008

Jill, The flatlands below the Hollywood Hills, and the associated public schools, are hardly unsafe. Send your kids there, get involved in a committee or two, meet some families. You will see they are mostly fine people. At some point, your children will have to learn to get along with them at work. Native born whites have gangs, too. Your fear is of "others", and it entirely a misplaced fear.

Carol @ 12:51 PM PDT, Jun 16, 2008

The LAUSD kowtows to the politically strong racial /racist groups. The true schoolyard bullies.

cooper @ 11:24 AM PDT, Jun 16, 2008

Bravo, Taylor. That criticism of the Times as the rah-rah boy for charters was long overdue. If anyone is interested, I'll email a copy of another study comparing charters with traditional high schools in L A County, using the all-important English readiness test. It shows L A's charter highs trail our truly public high schools very badly in preparing graduates for college. And if you want a biting analysis of Green Dot's charter application for Locke, which the LAUSD board approved last September, I'll send that too. reshaffer at csupomona dot edu. [The Times may block the usual email address.]

Ralph E Shaffer @ 8:38 AM PDT, Jun 16, 2008

Of course Taylor rails against Charters -- UTLA and LAUSD have in common their loathing of freedom of choice , even though this means many have to go private, despite paying Taylor's salary and our greatest tax dollars going to schools. I live in an expensive area of the Hills but "my" local school in the flats of Hollywood is full of mostly immigrants whether Russians and Armenians (who have gangs) or Hispanics, totally unsafe for our kids and low test scores. Kids from the hills; families don't want them to learn gang/ ethnic warfare to survive -- everyone must pay for private school. Break up the fascist LAUSD.

jill @ 7:17 AM PDT, Jun 16, 2008