Posted: 6/3/2014 8:50:36 AM EDT
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They just opened up a new charter school here in Northwest Arkansas and I was looking into it for my son who will be entering 2nd grade. Scool Here
He was pretty far ahead this year and probably held up some, he was going to the 4th grade reading classes every day but was still constrained to the common core stuff... Just had a few questions if anyone has first hand experience with them. Are they more liberal leaning than conservative? It kind of sounds like it but I really liked this statement in their overall academic approach: " A classical education aims to recover lost tools of learning in order to cultivate wise and virtuous men and women who will be responsible citizens of our republic". Doesn't sound real liberal to me but I know no one with any real experience with charter schools.... |
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I doubt you can pigeonhole them as liberal or conservative, but around here we have two types of "Charter Schools". Some are diploma mills for the older problem kids that the public schools kicked out, and the rest are great that offer an academic program that produces kids that perform higher than their public school peers on average.
Our local public school district is a huge, bloated bureaucratic monster that leans far left and caters to illegal aliens.... My child will never set foot in that district's schools |
| Ours is pretty conservative and absolutely hated by the local school board and union goons, despite out-performing every other school in the district. I'd guess that's the case more often than not, but you'd have to research the individual school. There are some bad eggs out there who just view charter schools as a way to get some public money in their pockets. |
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Both of my kids go to a charter school (Harmony Science Academy). Teaching kids philosophy and Latin is probably not the most applicable skill in life, but your kids is still young. If you find their curriculum too goofy, you can always go back to your public school. If he was being held back in his academic progress, then it'll get much worse once he hits middle school. |
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Quoted:
Both of my kids go to a charter school (Harmony Science Academy). Teaching kids philosophy and Latin is probably not the most applicable skill in life, but your kids is still young. If you find their curriculum too goofy, you can always go back to your public school. If he was being held back in his academic progress, then it'll get much worse once he hits middle school. That may be the same group that started this school last year, I know it originated in Texas. |
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It all depends on who chartered the school and why. It can be a very good thing or it can be just a gravy train for the sponsoring .org as they take the money and run. Give us some background on the particular school in question. It just started last year. Here is a quote from their website: "NWA Classical Academy was founded by a group of local parents seeking to offer another option to the area’s thriving public school system. NWA Classical Academy aims to provide students the benefit of a rigorous classical liberal arts program providing a strong foundation in the core subjects of English, History, Science and Mathematics". Looks like I missed the open enrollment date & can't get him in this year anyway. If things look ok I can start him and my daughter, who will be starting kindergarten next year. |
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Quoted:
It just started last year. Here is a quote from their website: "NWA Classical Academy was founded by a group of local parents seeking to offer another option to the area’s thriving public school system. NWA Classical Academy aims to provide students the benefit of a rigorous classical liberal arts program providing a strong foundation in the core subjects of English, History, Science and Mathematics". Looks like I missed the open enrollment date & can't get him in this year anyway. If things look ok I can start him and my daughter, who will be starting kindergarten next year. Quoted:
Quoted:
It all depends on who chartered the school and why. It can be a very good thing or it can be just a gravy train for the sponsoring .org as they take the money and run. Give us some background on the particular school in question. It just started last year. Here is a quote from their website: "NWA Classical Academy was founded by a group of local parents seeking to offer another option to the area’s thriving public school system. NWA Classical Academy aims to provide students the benefit of a rigorous classical liberal arts program providing a strong foundation in the core subjects of English, History, Science and Mathematics". Looks like I missed the open enrollment date & can't get him in this year anyway. If things look ok I can start him and my daughter, who will be starting kindergarten next year. I've found the whole "founded by a group of local parents" to be hogwash when a management company is involved, as it is with the school you're talking about. There's nothing wrong with that, but when management companies run charter schools you typically don't get the local flexibility that's the whole point of doing a charter school. On the plus side you should be able to look at other ResponsiveEd schools to get an idea of what this one will be like. |