District Administration - September 2006 - (Page 19)

If you privatize public education, you end up with two systems one for the poor and one for the rich. M. Donald Thomas Public Education Gets Support In this century, as vouchers for private school get more play, evo- Thomas, who is the lution in science class grows even more controversial, and book executive director, claims that banning remains, the need to support public education grows vouchers for schools attempt fiercer, according to M. Donald Thomas. to privatize public education and squeeze out poor people, who Thomas, former superintendent of the Salt Lake City school are unable to pay the difference for private schools. If you priva- district and former deputy superintendent for public account- tize public education, you end up with two systems one for the ability for South Carolina, has created Public Education Support poor and one for the rich, Thomas says. Group. It's comprised of educational leaders aimed to support The Heritage Foundation, which supports school choice and true public education. accountability, disagrees, saying parents and children would Superintendents these days have to make difficult decisions, benefit from choice. We believe school choice policies will says Thomas, who has had the idea to start the group for awhile. deliver on the promise of public education; that is, ensuring every There are a lot of conflicts when trying to do the right thing, but child receives access to a high quality education, says Dan Lips, they are getting criticism from highly conservative groups. an education analyst who had not yet heard of the new support The group will write letters to newspaper editors nationwide, group. School choice policies are a new way to deliver public appear at conferences, and speak at community groups in hopes education by giving parents the opportunity to chose from a vari- to convince educators that public education is the most vital ety of schools including public, private and charter schools. mario thomas1@ yahoo.com service in a democratic society. New Rules STAT BLAST For Texas ew rules are forming in Texas to regulate N everything from how districts spend their AFTER-SCHOOL STAT money to how student test scores must 62% improve every year, according to The Dallas Morning News. of students who were T he rules, written by the state's education chief Shirley Neeley and her asked to participate in staff, are part of the state's school fi nance and education reform legisla- after-school programs t ion recently passed. The rules will cover merit pay for teachers and would held at their schools and empower Neeley to get rid of teachers and administrators in low-performing not in after-school centers schools. Legislators claim schools need to start improving, while school offi- cia ls worry local control will vanish and, thus, contrast with the state's 1995 9% law that pushed less state regulation. Neeley says she will seek ideas from the public, school superintendents are in more traditional and education groups before she puts rules in stone. after-school settings, such There is a feeling among superintendents that the commissioner is get- as the YMCA or Boys & t i ng too much power, says Clayton Downing, director of the Texas School Girls Club. Coalition. It's not that we don't trust Dr. Neeley, but we don't know who will S ourc e : JA Worldwide be commissioner down the road. September 2006 19 www.DistrictAdministration.com DA_906_Update.w.indd 19 8/14/06 11:45:08 AM http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2006

Contents
Editor?s Letter
Snapshots
Update
Inside the Law
Curriculum Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Unveiling the School of the Future
Are wireless VoIP handsets worth the cost?
Smart ways to detect and manage cyberbullies
Scared Straight
Up for Debate
In the Spotlight
Growing Community Schools
Learning Styles
The Online Edge Odvard Egil Dyrli
Speaking Out Gary Stager
Problem/Solution
Research Corner
Computer Literature
Leadership Books
New Products
By the Numbers

District Administration - September 2006