chanel
Silver Member
For the record: I am a Republican, a public school teacher, and a union member. While I am the first to say that the system is broken, I do not believe private companies can do a better job working within the broken system.
Check this out:
Mixed reviews for Delaware Valley High School
It's a lengthy article, but an interesting read. It highlights many of the same issues and problems that public schools face with students who are basically "uneducable". It also shows that nepotism and political influence infiltrate all aspects of the system, both public and private.
Comments?
Check this out:
For nearly a decade, the Philadelphia School District has been sending students with discipline problems who are at risk of dropping out of school to the for-profit Delaware Valley High School.
This academic year, the district is paying the firm $4.1 million to operate a disciplinary school on Kelly Drive in East Falls and an accelerated high school program in Southwest Philadelphia for dropouts to obtain diplomas.
Attorney David T. Shulick, Delaware Valley's chief executive officer, has long said that his company operates "the best and the lowest-cost" alternative schools in the city.
Federal authorities are now investigating whether political influence helped Delaware Valley obtain recent contracts, according to knowledgeable sources.
But some former teachers allege grades are changed and students promoted even if they skip class and fail to turn in assignments.
"Everybody graduates," one former staffer said. "Everybody gets a piece of paper, no matter what."
They also questioned the school's attendance records and said teachers were paid significantly less than is shown in contracts with the district.
Mixed reviews for Delaware Valley High School
It's a lengthy article, but an interesting read. It highlights many of the same issues and problems that public schools face with students who are basically "uneducable". It also shows that nepotism and political influence infiltrate all aspects of the system, both public and private.
Comments?