rough draft 3 paper

I Rather Have a Charter Schools, Than A Public School

            Technology is prominent all over the world today, and everybody uses it; just like charter schools should be prominent so children can attend them.  My vote is for charter school!  There are Charter Schools in 40 states as of 2013, but there are 12 states that need to incorporate charter schools in their communities.  These 12 states need to get onboard with charter school because they are the new and improve educational learning system for children and families.  Washington State is one of the states that don’t have charter schools; therefore I will become involved to be one of the parents that will stand up for charter schools.

            I am a parent of a handsome one year old little boy, and presently pregnant with my second child.  I have learned through my research that Washington State doesn’t presently have Charter schools.  As a parent, Charter schools would be the best educational and diverse style for my children.  Having Charter schools will improve the present educational system; allow freedom of choice for parents, teacher and students, and involve political parties to discuss best practice for our children.  Charter Schools will be the best approach for our kids today.

Improving Educational Systems

Charter School can improve our present educational system because Charter School teachers appear to have more diverse skills.  They appear to bring more creative activities and ideals into the classroom.  Children become more motivated and innovative when they are able to use a creative approach.  In the movie, Mona Lisa Smiles Ms. Watson was trying to encourage the girls to think outside of the box and to become innovator thinkers.  Charter Schools are more about the hands on experiential learning.  Focus on student-family-teacher relationships and encourage individuality within our community. Teachers work in collaborative relationships within and outside of the school and serve the greater community.  They actively encourage creativity and fun within our school.  Public school has more of an independent learning style; the teachers are encouraged to stick to the curriculum, just like in the movie Mona Lisa Smile.  They also have children taking test to measure what they know.   As we know there are some children that have a fear around test taking, therefore, these children will not do well in a public school setting.  Unless they have a teacher like Mr. Escalante in the movie “Stand and Deliver” when he went to the school board and stood by his kids taking the test and passing the test in honesty.   

One-third of all students and one-half of all African-American and Latino students who enter our public school system do not graduate.  It's time to take a newer approach to Washington State educational system by having Charter Schools.  Otherwise in a public school you could have teachers like the teachers on the movie Chalk, where they didn’t have real goals and they received their position on fact that they need the job and not really wanted the job.

Freedom of Choice

            If we had Charter Schools in Washington State or within my community, other parents and I would have the freedom to choose a Charter School for our children.  Another freedom of choice that parents and I would have is choosing smaller class sizes. Charter Schools has fewer students in the classroom, whereas public schools class sizes are larger because it’s based on how many children live in the school district.  As a parent, I would have the option of choosing my school district to enroll my children. In public school you are not given the option because it’s based on where you live in the school district unless you have special circumstances For example, if your child care provider lives in a different school district than you, then you might be given an option to attend the school where your child care provider lives.  Having a freedom of choice to choose or not to choose gives you power as a parent.  In the movie, Chalk a teacher who worked in a public school wanted to be teacher of the year so he told the students to vote and campaign for him. He lost then he didn’t want to teach the children anymore.   In Charter School teachers genially wants to be in there, not to win teacher of the year but to be committed to improve the public school system and they have a mission-driven  vision.

As a parent, I would have the freedom to choose a free state-mandated regulations, charter school can offer more curriculum and design options to parents and children, such as Montessori, Core Knowledge (Back-to-Basics), Arts & Science, and a longer-day, longer-year, strict-discipline school for at-risk children living in urban areas (sometimes referred to as College Prep schools).  This is important to me as an African American parent.  In a public school setting you would have to pay for these school options.

Political Issues

            The Initiative 1240 represents the Washington Charter Schools.  Many political groups are in support of having Charter Schools.  The group included the League of Education Voter, Stand for Children and Democrats for Education Reform.  In 2012 Washington Initiative 1240 voted on the bill and the results where: 1,525,807 said yes and 1,484,125 said no to Charter Schools. It also was rejected in 1996, 2000 & 2004.  In 2012 the State of Washington has been approved to have 40 public Charter Schools by 2017.  At this time my Pastor and other church member have been traveling to Olympia in support of Initiative 1240; within 2 to 3 years our church is planning to open a Charter School after we build our new Marvin Williams Center in Bremerton Washington.

            Local schools stakeholders and policy makers play a major role in the decision making of for or against Charter Schools.  If Charter School begins to open in Washington communities they will have a big impact on public schools.  This is why local school stakeholders and policy makers often vote against Charter Schools.  It can affect their funding, their administrators, and can cause a decline in services that are provided to children.  No money, no services!  Pass Presidents, President Clinton is for Charter Schools and President Bush is against Charter Schools.  Charter School supporter come from both political parties and comprise a new political center that encompasses organizations like the Democratic Leadership Council once headed by former President Clinton.  In the movie “Waiting for Superman” Geoffrey Canada an educator in the movie says Superman is like waiting for someone really powerful who can come and help the children be smart and brave.  I believe that the politicians and political parties are able to be the Supermen for our children today.

            The Charter School mission statement for Washington State is to improve the quality of education for all children in the state of Washington.  That’s why; I believe Charter School is very important and needed in Washington State.  Twenty-one states have a strong Charter law that encourages expansion and great foundation to the Charter School.  It is possible to give every child in America a great Education and Charter School is the place to start with a better education. Essential I am for Charter Schooling in Washington State for my two boys!