Prior to reading this I want the reader to know I am an ardent supporter of the public school system within British Columbia. My personal K-12 education was through the public school education in Fort St. John, BC. I have nothing but fond memories of my education, my amazing teachers, and the educational foundation it gave me that allowed me to be successful at the post-secondary level and for giving me the skills and enthusiasm towards learning to become a life-long learner. I, in no way, want to create the chaotic educational system that exists in the United States. But some Charter schools have been very successful in breaking the traditional “factory” style model of education that Sir Ken Robinson has lamented against for the last 10-15 years. There are many things within the BC educational system that are preventing change and innovation within BC schools. As educators we need to question the model of education that has existed for many years. We need to fight for the best educational system for our students today and in the future. This is the reason why I wrote this post. I want people to question the status quo and to dream about the education of today and of the future.
Lets begin…..
Charter Schools – Is there anything more controversial in education today? These types of schools have proliferated throughout the United States and there is no shortage of negative stories and data pertaining to them on the internet or in the news. But there are also the stories of amazing, innovative, creative Charter schools doing amazing things and having tremendous educational results. But to bring the idea of Charter Schools up in British Columbian schools is highly controversial and one that might lead to a heated argument about schools, privatization, 2-Tiered education systems, etc. But its an issue that intrigues me. Why couldn’t we encourage the growth of Charter Schools in BC? Could we not learn from the American experience and encourage the specific types of Charter Schools that are transforming and revolutionizing education? Lets delve into this controversial issue a little bit to see what we uncover.
What is a charter school?
Charter schools are autonomous public schools that provide innovative or enhanced education programs designed to improve student learning. Operating outside of local school boards and governed by their own board of trustees, they are accountable for pursuing and meeting their charter. Typically exempt from many statutes and regulations that govern traditional public schools, they are not required to hire unionized teachers and may use non-traditional pedagogy or curriculum. They do not charge tuition and are typically fully funded for operational expenses.
Where are they found in North America?
Charter schools can be found in most of the American states and in the province of Alberta (Max. 15 Charter Schools Allowed by Legislation)
Why in Canada are Charter Schools only found in Alberta?
- The Albertan government is the only provincial government to pass Charter School legislation.
- After Ralph Klein’s government passed this legislation in the early 1990’s the core interests in Canadian education (school superintendents, education faculties, and teachers’ unions) closed ranks and successfully fended off charter schools everywhere else.
What kind of high schools exist in BC?
There are a vast number of high-schools in BC. The majority of high schools are public high schools. A good definition from schoolsincanada.com is: Public high schools in British Columbia are generally non-religious, publicly funded schools overseen by the provincial Ministry of Education. Within local school districts, public schools are run by the public school boards. The main language of instruction in British Columbia public high schools is English. However, French Immersion is available in many public school districts, as well as English as a second language (ESL) and French as a second language (FSL) training. Since public education is free for residents of the province, tuition for international students is correspondingly lower than at private institutions. Some public secondary schools have dormitories, and many have arrangements for homestay families.
There are also a plethora of other types of Independent high schools. They range from private high schools, boarding schools, All-Girl and All-Boy Schools. and Christian High Schools. Regardless of affiliation, location, cost or school type, high schools in British Columbia are held to provincial government standards of quality, ensuring a world-class educational opportunity for domestic and international students alike. Most of these Independent schools receive around 50-35% of the funding that the public high schools receive. There is a growing movement within BC, and many other provinces, to stop this public funding for private independent schools within the province.
Charter Schools in United States
The number of charter schools in the United States has risen dramatically over the last few years. There are countless articles declaring the merits or the ineffectiveness of the charter schools in America. John Oliver’s video about charter schools explains some of the negative features of the charter school movement in America. [www.businessinsider.com/john-oliver-charter-schools-2016-8]. If you want to read more about the +’s and -‘s of the Charter School Movement all you have to do is google and you’ll have no shortage of reading to occupy your time.
Why are Charter Schools not wanted in BC?
One of the biggest opponents of Charter Schools in BC is the British Columbia Teachers Federation. In 1995 the BCTF published a report titled ‘Ten problems with Charter Schools’. I thought if we examined some of the “10 Problems” we might come to a better understanding of the Charter School issue within BC. [Note: quotes from this section are from BCTF Report]
1. Charter Schools create two-tiered education
In the early 1990’s opposition to charter schools had been expressed by the B.C. Minister of Education, Art Charbonneau. He told the legislature that charter schools produce “a system where some groups of parents see that through more extensive control and participation, they can deliver one level of education in that school, and they feel the public schools in that area can be satisfied with a lesser level of education.” But isn’t this happening in BC already? Parents of students at school such as St. Georges and York House exert a lot of control over the level of education their sons/daughters receive. They prefer to pay exuberant amounts of money so their children interact with a certain type of student populace and receive an education that will guarantee that their children gain admission into the University of their choice. The 2-tiered form of education has already been established within the province of BC. Independent private schools that cater to the rich and famous within BC have already created a system where the public school system has been labelled as a “lesser level of education”. The Fraser Institute rankings flaunt these results and this 2-Tier system to the people of BC on a yearly basis. I am not arguing that the education at Independent private schools is better than the public school system. I am arguing that the 2-Tier education system that people fear already exists in BC and is expanding on a yearly basis.
2. Charter schools encourage social fragmentation rather than common experiences.
Many people fear that Charter Schools target specific student groups and by not attending public schools they lose out from learning and interacting with people of different ethnic groups, religions, socio-economic backgrounds, etc. But this is already occurring within BC? Parents are choosing to have their children attend elite private schools or religious-based independent schools at an alarming rate in BC. The growing number of independent private schools in BC shows that parents want more say in which schools their children attend, who they interact with, and what they learn. Schools have always played a homogenizing role in society but nowadays there are countless other activities that children participate in that allow them to interact and learn with people of different classes, races, ethnicities, etc. Some of these are clubs, sporting teams, church groups, etc, etc. So is the school important for this role anymore? Just something to ponder.
3. Charter schools aren’t the answer to inequalities in Canada.
The schools in the USA have faced an onslaught of rules, regulations, and penalties in the last few years. Many schools, especially within some of the larger urban centres, are located in high-poverty districts. In the USA most schools are paid for by the district they reside in. The Federal Government chips in 8-9% of the funding but most schools are funded by the property taxes paid in the areas the school is located. For many of these high-poverty districts the amount of property taxes being paid is dramatically lower than in the affluent suburban areas. This lack of funding means less specialty teachers, less technology in classrooms, less support for at-risk students, etc. With the growing number of Charter schools within the USA parents are choosing en masse, in some reasons, to remove their children from these poor, high-poverty schools, and registering them in Charter Schools that seem to have the answer to all their problems. In some cases this is the case but a growing number of Charter Schools have not been the solution. In British Columbia public schools schools are funded equally. This creates a stable and uniform system of funding that allows every school to provide an equal level of education to all students. The fear that the introduction of “Charter schools might increase the inequalities rather than reducing them” seems unwarranted. If Charter schools are funded the same as public schools it would offer students more choice about the type of education they receive. Charter schools would hopefully attract students from all socio-economic areas? Many Charter schools use a lottery type system to ensure a diverse range of students get a chance to attend. I think if properly introduced, and if their processes are monitored to ensure equal access, etc, then Charter Schools would allow more student choice at a time when student choice and different learning opportunities are something we all deem important for a students education and growth as a learner.
4. Charter Schools don’t encourage system reform and improved quality
Many opponents of Charter Schools believe they serve special interests and are destroying public education. They also believe that Charter schools pull more money from the public school system and this money would only benefit a few students attending the Charter school. They belief that money funnelled to private schools, such as Charter Schools, will result in less specialty teachers, higher class sizes, etc within the public school system. Schools are funded in a very specific manner in BC thus less students mean less dollars. So in reality Charter schools would pull money from the public schools. Funding is an issue but would these schools not lessen the issue of overcrowding and massive class sizes in some of the public schools? Would they not lessen the massive workload teachers face on daily basis in BC? I agree there is a negative in regards to funding but on the hand less students means smaller class sizes, better teacher-student ratio, and a better working and learning environment for the students/staff at public high schools.
5. Marketing, rather than educational improvement, becomes a central focus.
The marketing of our educational system is already taking place. Schools with academies, specialty sports programs, well-known music programs, IB programs, etc attract students to them. Parents, when moving into an area, research the schools and their programs prior to buying a home. School choice, and the marketing of certain programs, occurs all the time in BC. Parents and students know what programs are offered at each school, they know a school’s history and its reputation, they understand the socio-economic status of the students that attend the school, they can see the Fraser Institute’s ranking of the school. All these things play a role in parents decision on where they send their children to school. This is all marketing and it leads to a certain level of competition between schools. Is this a bad thing? Or does it lead to innovation and creative programs within schools? Does this promote stagnation or growth? Something to ponder.
The notion of Charter Schools intrigues me. Innovative schools such as High Tech High, AltSchool, Big Picture Academy, Brightworks Academy, and Think Global School are just a few Charter schools that have created an educational setting that is completely different than the traditional school setting that has existed for over 100 years. If you research these schools you will see that these schools are educating students in ways that are 360 degrees different than traditional classroom setting. In some of the schools the traditional classroom does not even exist anymore. At a time when educators and educational theorists are lamenting the lack of evolution and growth within education it would seem that much of innovation and change that is occurring within education is taking place in Charter Schools. So why is innovation, on a large scale, not occurring within the public school system in BC? For years administrators and school board executives have been travelling to the USA to visit Charter school sush as High Tech High. They come back and talk about the innovation and creative things taking place but our system continues along the same way it has for decades. Small pockets of innovation have been created. Join Twitter and you’ll quickly see these pockets of innovation – Maker days, robotic clubs, etc. The problem is they are “pockets of innovation” – nothing more. What we need is schools of innovation and creativity. We need to get away from the block schedules, set timetables, sage on the stage mentality. We need to think out of the box to the extreme level. If the introduction of Charter schools in BC encourage this within our province and the energy and innovation reverberates throughout the public school system then it can only be a positive thing.
We have to wonder why “schools of innovation and creativity” have not become the norm in BC? With the introduction of a new K-12 curriculum and the removal of the Gr 10-12 standardized tests that used to hinder creativity within the classrooms of BC it would seem a perfect time to move even further away from the traditional form of education. Will this new curriculum hasten this change? I don’t believe so. I think too many of the “statutes and regulations that govern traditional public schools” will continue to shackle and oppress some of the change that is needed within our education system. As an ardent supporter of the public school system it frustrates me how little it has changed since I went to school. For me the public school system worked. I copied the notes, I memorized the notes, I regurgitated the notes for the test and I passed the courses needed to get into the post-secondary institution of my choice. The system has worked for over 100 years. But that is the problem. Society has changed dramatically due to the things such as the internet, cell phones, virtual reality, etc. Students are dramatically different than they were 50-60 years ago. Education has too change for the students of today and the future. They need, and want, a different form of education. Charter schools seem to be the spark that might cause whole-scale change. This can only be a positive thing. As educators we all want whats best for our students and for our children. Is our current system the best we can provide or offer? I’m not sure. I hope this post has made you question our current educational system and the role Charter Schools could play if properly introduced.