Paul Vargas’ Post

My latest Education Next on universal choice, how the public schools keep the rich in their political coalition, and what it will take to protect and grow choice programs for all families. "If the rich are not in your coalition, you have a weak coalition. If they don’t benefit from your policy, you have a policy that will be difficult to maintain. It is just that simple."

Charter schools seem like the education world’s bad boy with a report card full of potential. Three decades in, the shine is wearing off, with critics firing accusations of profiteering and segregation. #CharterSchools Remember the original dream? Community-run schools breaking the mold, igniting innovation, and giving kids a fighting chance? The brightest stars like @chartercollab in the charter universe are still shining. They’re the ones with the multiple accountability measures, the ones empowering communities, the ones obsessed with transforming lives, not lining pockets. Dynamic public education needs renegades AND reformers. The renegades push boundaries, the reformers hold them accountable. So, let’s ditch the misinformation and have a real conversation. Can charters be the future of education? Absolutely, but only if they get back to their roots. Thoughts?🤔 #TheFutureIsNow #PublicEducation #DynamicDuo #AccountabilityWins #EmpoweringEducation #CommunityControl #EducationRevolution #charterschoolsweek #blackeducators https://lnkd.in/eTDVFQ3U

#publiceducation #uspolitics #election2024 Teach Your Children Well Why Tim Walz is the perfect antidote to Project 2025 Dan Rather and Team Steady "If you are a seasoned reader of Steady, you know how I feel about public education. I believe it is a civil right and a great equalizer. I also feel strongly that teachers are some of the most important public servants in our society. Preserving a robust public school system is vital to the well-being of our citizens and the health of our democracy. To see two products of public education as the Democratic nominees for president and vice president of the United States does my heart good. Vice President Kamala Harris attended public schools in Oakland, California, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz not only attended public schools through graduate school but also taught in Minnesota public schools for decades. Theirs is the ultimate American dream — and validation that our education system can work. It is a system that is far from perfect, but please understand there’s a plan being promoted by the MAGA right that will gut it dramatically, minimizing the federal government’s role in education."

Interesting read and statistics given the declining enrollment we are facing in our own county schools! it's real and we need to recognize that while closing a school is never easy.. We need to recognize that there are sound reasons for doing so. The school’s size will also be its demise, Sara Randazzo and Matt Barnum write. Los Angeles Unified School District is closing Solis this summer, citing declining enrollment that has severely limited the school’s offerings. As birthrates have dipped, families have moved elsewhere, and public school alternatives have grown, many urban districts have hemorrhaged students. That has left officials with the difficult choice of keeping open shrinking schools with resources spread thin or shutting them down, a move that inevitably garners fierce community backlash. How school leaders navigate this challenge could define urban school systems for the next several years. But if schools get too small they face a paradoxical problem: Costs per student tend to rise, but programming tends to shrink. “When schools get below a certain size threshold, they start facing these unique challenges that make it hard to deliver a high-quality education,”.

For good or ill, universal vouchers and other aspects of the school choice debate have altered the conversation around public education. But what can be done to present a viable alternative? In the latest entry in our series on public education, Civic Way founder Bob Melville examines the flaws inherent to the current school choice movement (and some valid points) and presents a path forward to make traditional public schools a viable and attractive option for education: https://lnkd.in/e6NAeFZ5

Today, the Biden Administration is calling on states, cities and towns, and schools to cultivate a “culture of attendance” and send a clear message that students need to be in school. 🏫 At this morning's Every Day Counts Summit at the White House, the Director of the Domestic Policy Council of the United States, Neera Tanden, referenced the new Digital Backpack 🎒 created by the National Partnership for Student Success Hub; a set of “Resources to Address Chronic Absenteeism in Your Community,” that includes a curated set of publicly available resources, including a selection of Examples In Action (spotlights with information on how districts have worked to address chronic absence in their communities). One of these spotlights is the successful relationship between our AmeriCorps Promise Fellows and Minneapolis Public Schools (utilizing the Check & Connect: A Comprehensive Student Engagement Intervention model!) Check it out (pun intended 🤣)! ServeMinnesota Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan https://lnkd.in/e4W_pha4

Check out my article on why more progressives like me ought to support community based and led charter schools as one of the tools to make public education work for all students and families. Any model of public education that works needs to be supported, charter, traditional district, magnet, community, renaissance, lab, intradistrict and interdistrict choice, etc. We are losing another generation of students arguing about and with adult special interests and our children don't have the luxury to wait decade after decade for proposed change that never happens or never addresses the root causes of systematic failure for the masses of students, especially Black, Brown and working class. #EdWoke https://lnkd.in/gTh2YzSG

🔑 Key takeaway - Charter schools can be innovative catalysts within the public education system. 🎓 Decades ago, these schools were an unsung concept. But now? Charter schools are thriving in Mississippi, influencing education on a broader scale. 💡 Mississippi - a state brimming with over 10 operating charter schools. These institutions are government-funded, yet hold unique autonomy that sets them apart from traditional public schools. 🎯 Ensured by the aptly named Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board, these schools undertake a mission - to revolutionize education while serving diverse student populations. Just because they're unconventional, doesn't mean they're unaccountable. They're continually monitored, held responsible for their performance metrics. 📊 But how have they fared? Here's a comforting nugget. These schools have been lauded for improving student outcomes, particularly among traditionally underserved students. 💼 While the decades shape and reshape education narratives, one thing remains constant - Charter schools in Mississippi stand tall, extending myriad choices, fostering an environment ripe for educational success. 🏆 So, let's discuss - Are charter schools redefining how we approach education? Looking forward to your thoughts! 📚 Charter schools TalentServe #CharterSchools #PublicEducation #Innovation #Mississippi #EducationReform #StudentOutcomes #Accountability #EducationChoice #EducationSuccess #CharterSchoolImpact #EducationRevolution #ReachifyMe

#1 feature/benefit of any chartered or public edu alternative is instructor-to-learner ratio. This quotient is the primary predictor of student achievement. Anything else is a shadow factor.

A new report concludes what we already know: charter schools deliver more bang for the buck than district schools. Did you know that in NYC– public charters receive significantly less funding than district schools? Imagine what public charters could do if they received equal funding. https://bit.ly/49PPLXo