Paroxysms of Choice

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-337
Author(s):  
Howard Gardner
Keyword(s):  
Charter School ◽  
Recent Book ◽  
School Vouchers ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Educational Pathways ◽  
History Of ◽  
Charter School Movement ◽  
School Movement

In this essay Gardner reviews five recently published books that deal with the charter school movement and/or initiatives to provide school vouchers. He begins the review by summarizing the views of selected critics of education. He then moves on to provide a brief history of the charter school and voucher movements pointing out why these movements are seen as attractive by some educational policy makers, politicians and segments of the public at large. To this he adds his own critical review of the supporting and non-supporting evidence for these movements. The essay ends with Gardner’s own suggestions for educational reform. Chief among these is moving toward “educational pathways,” detailed in his recent book The Disciplined Mind, where diversity within public education is obtained through a variety of schools with differing philosophies and educational emphases. (Abstract by Jerry S. Carlson)

Looking Backward to Charter Schools

2020 ◽  
pp. 105678792097433
Author(s):  
Daniel Tanner
Keyword(s):  
Charter Schools ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Charter School ◽  
School System ◽  
Class System ◽  
Margaret Thatcher ◽  
Democratic Experience ◽  
Clear And Present Danger ◽  
Charter School Movement ◽  
School Movement

Charter schools are promoted as a contemporary American invention. But the documented history reveals that charter schools actually evolved over the centuries in England, structured to reflect the highly stratified British class system. The last stand to hold onto the charter-school system in England was waged by Margaret Thatcher under the banner of “parental choice.” But her campaign went down to defeat as the British public opted for the American-style, inclusive and comprehensive secondary school. The charter-school movement raises the clear and present danger of splitting up the American unitary, comprehensive school system at cost to the American democratic experience.

State University Roles in the Charter School Movement

2003 ◽  
Vol 84 (7) ◽  
pp. 542-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim K. Metcalf ◽  
Neil D. Theobald ◽  
Gerardo Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Charter School ◽  
State University ◽  
Charter School Movement ◽  
School Movement

Religiously Affiliated Charter Schools

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan C. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Charter Schools ◽  
Charter School ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Federal Courts ◽  
State Law ◽  
Religiously Affiliated ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Charter School Movement ◽  
School Movement

Charter schools have grown significantly since 1991, when Minnesota became the first state to enact charter school legislation. Charter schools are public schools, as defined by federal and state law. Thus, when it comes to issues of religion and education, charter schools are bound by the same laws and legal precedents as public schools. As a result, local developers and state chartering agencies that seek to establish religious or faith-based charter schools are likely to fail in state and federal courts. This chapter examines this legal framework in the larger charter school movement.

Beautiful Melodies Telling Me Terrible Things

2015 ◽  
Vol 661 (1) ◽  
pp. 238-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew W. Hughey ◽  
W. Carson Byrd
Keyword(s):  
Science And Technology Studies ◽  
Federal Agencies ◽  
Paradigm Shifts ◽  
Scientific Racism ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Scientific Revolutions ◽  
Funding Model ◽  
History Of ◽  
American Society

To conclude this volume, we first engage in a brief history of scientific racism and the extent to which it resonates with the public. We then attempt to explain why American society and culture continue to fall prey to the seduction of biological determinism and racial essentialism: (1) the DNA mystique, (2) scientific revolutions and paradigm shifts, (3) the ethno-politics of genetics, (4) dismissals of social science as “soft,” (5) the defense of biology against reactionary dismissals, and (6) the aura of “objectivity” surrounding genetics. Last, we point to a way forward that may help scholars and the public avoid a return to old and debunked theories: (1) engagement with interdisciplinary fields and science and technology studies, (2) involvement of knowledgeable scholars and policy experts in government and higher education, (3) revision of the current additive funding model used by federal agencies, and (4) evolution in the training of future and current scholars and policy-makers toward mitigating inequality.

The technology foresight system of the Russian Federation: a systemic view

foresight ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilya F. Kuzminov ◽  
Thomas Thurner ◽  
Alexander Chulok
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Technology Foresight ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Do So ◽  
Systemic View

Purpose This paper aims to describe and discuss the architecture of Russia’s Technology Foresight System (TFS). This paper introduces the reader to the integration of the TFS into the public administration system and, specifically, into the national strategic planning system. Design/methodology/approach To do so, the authors fall back on more than 10 years of experience in performing foresight exercises for Russian policy makers of their institution. Findings Thereby, the paper highlights the implications arising from the interaction between sectoral and national components of TFS and on application of the results of foresight studies (implemented within the framework of TFS) for the strategic planning. Originality/value Russia has a long history of technological planning and forecasting and engages regularly in extensive foresight activities of both national and sectoral relevance. Also, Russia’s leadership repeatedly stresses the importance of such foresight activities which are outlined by a national law since 2014.

scholarly journals “It’s Our Best Choice Right Now”: Examining the Choice Options of Charter School Parents

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Villavicencio
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Charter Schools ◽  
Charter School ◽  
Consumer Choice ◽  
Parent Choice ◽  
Choice Processes ◽  
Choice Sets ◽  
Charter School Movement ◽  
School Movement

One of the underlying premises of the charter school movement is that quality drives consumer choice. As educational consumers, parents are viewed as rational actors who, if given the choice, will select better performing school. In examining the choice processes of charter school parents, however, this study calls into question the extent to which some parents can make optimal choices. Interviews with parents enrolled in two different charter schools indicate that charter parents do not necessarily choose higher performing charter schools; nor do they necessarily leave low performing charter schools. The study also provides evidence that parent “choice sets” (Bell, 2009) vary depending on networks and social capital. Thus, choice alone does not necessarily ensure that parents will have better, more equal options.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document