Is the cookie cutter education that our children are receiving good enough? Are we meeting our children's needs? I was looking at the brochures/catalogs from Arizona Connections Academy & Arizona Virtual Academy today. (Just happened to be frustrated about my daughter's education, or lack there of.)If these schools are doing what they claim to be doing, we have to reform our schools or we are going to be shut down.
According to their literature, every student receives an individualized plan (not to be confused with an IEP), in which they work one on one with an education coach to plan their highschool AND post secondary careers. You know what came to mind...of course they offer more and do more for their "customers", they are in it for profit! AND profit they are making!
In Arizona the average student is worth approximately $6,000. If the parents knew that they could take their $6,000 and use it as bargaining power to force a better education for their child, maybe....just maybe the schools would treat us like the customers we are instead of the numbers they believe that we are.
Students can take German, Japanese, Sign Language, in addition to their gifted classes. They can work at their own pace, independent of other students. AND their parents have a real time report of how they are doing at any given moment.
So my question to you is...can this be replicated in the public school system? Why or why not?
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I'd say no, except perhaps in a magnet school. Students who choose this type of education would be self-motivated already, or their parents have enough motivation to push the kid. I don't see many of our public school kids who have little support at home being motivated to succeed "at their own speed."
ReplyDeleteVery true. Motivated parents are usually the key to any successful child!
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