“Where were the voices for charters?”

Perhaps leading productive lives rather than attending a conference of ‘community activists” interested on recreating the status quo anti.

Charters were certainly unrepresented on the panel but there were some of us in the audience. Taking it all with a grain of salt. Lots of good information and discussion, despite the complete anti-charter bias.

Perhaps leading productive lives rather than attending a conference of ‘community activists” interested on recreating the status quo anti.

that’s a bit of a cheap shot in terms of the productive lives comment, but anyone formerly affiliated with UTNO has to be viewed with skepticism. The teachers union was a part of the original problem, pre-storm.

“The teachers union was a part of the original problem, pre-storm.”

Cliff made that point as well, YP. It’s one of the reasons why he was on the panel.

I was in the audience at RTIII. I am a native New Orleanean and a parent of two kids in one of New Orleans well-regarded public (now charter) school (Lusher). My oldest started out at another charter, the ISL (International School of Louisiana) before Katrina hit, but we moved her to Lusher after the storm due to uncertainty surrounding ISL’s future. I agree with Michael and em in noting the absence of any alternative voices on the panel. I don’t think this was intentional, though. I just think it reflected who the panel organizer knew and could line up to participate. And I agree with Yatpundit that John’s comment was a cheap shot that does nothing but validate the points the panelists were making about the perception of a dismissive privatization of public education. I hold a different opinion on charters and I understand them the way Cliff does. But I also support them because I see value in charters in rebuilding communities, just not in the old-fashioned way of thinking of community that the activist panelists represented. I’m going to write more on this on my own blog soon, and I’m sure it will receive mixed reaction from the progressive NOLA blogosphere, but parents who want something better from public schools for their children than what New Orleans offered previously is not something that deserves the kind of patronizing dismissiveness of charter public schools that tended to come across on the panel.

I am impressed, you have it just right and I’m a reactionary in favor of a dismissive privatization of public education and the progressive panel has a patronizing dismissiveness of charter public schools.

I look forward to reading more on this soon on your own blog, I’m sure pubic education will be advanced.

“John” is a troll, and should be treated accordingly.

John is welcome, though I’m not big on snark in place of discussion. But I don’t have a dog in this fight (or a kid in this school system), so school me on charter education and I’ll read it.

“liberals need not abdicate their place on the educational cutting edge, and ought not be seen as defenders of bureaucracy and failure.” Indeed, among the most vocal champions of New Orleans charters have been the city’s most prominent Democrats.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070910/tisserand/3

I noticed in a few places that people interpreted my post to mean that the panelists were too harsh on charter schools. Not so. I appreciated hearing what the panelists had to say, and I think their arguments — especially about the community vs. consumer model of public education — are important ones. (I especially recommend panelist Leigh Dingerson’s work — it’s challenging and substantive.) My main point was that I prefer panels that include more divergent points of view, and I wish there were had been some pro-charter folks there to get into a healthy debate. But maybe I was just grumpy because Rising Tide was out of XL T-shirts. I’ll just have to get there earlier next year.

Michael, as an RT organizer, I can say that we will be getting some more XL shirts made up and one will be sent to you ASAP. We grossly underestimated the demand this year. Ugh.

Thanks again for your comments!

Thanks