|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
IMPENDING
SENATE VOTE & NEW SCHOOLS SURVIVAL
Only one bill before the Senate—House Bill 1642—will decide the fate of our new, independent chartered public schools for next year. Our education system depends on the introduction of new school models. New Hampshire’s charter schools and HB 1642 should be supported. Where would we be if Thomas Jefferson never created a new, secular college model? Or if businessman John Phillips of Exeter had not spearheaded the state’s first high school academy? Generations of trade-oriented students benefit from a Vermont legislator’s work to give land grants that endow vocational colleges, a law signed by President Lincoln. And in the 20th century, where would our students with disabilities be if we hadn’t abolished state institutions, once the school innovation of their time? When Jefferson established the University of Virginia in the early 1800s, the church was the center of a college and only three "majors" were offered—medicine, law, and religion. Jefferson’s model opened new fields of study including science, philosophy, and architecture. He wanted schools funded by the general public so family wealth did not control opportunity. When Lincoln signed the Morrill Land Grant Act each state received 30,000 acres of public land to sell to endow new schools of agriculture and mechanical arts. Within a decade the vocational high school was born. Public academies
were proposed by New Hampshire business leaders as early as 1790 because
this state needed high school options with higher academic standards.
This model has re-emerged in the 1990s as “the chartered public school.”
Each varies greatly, with curriculum geared to the student population
served. Many serve students not succeeding in traditional public schools,
but this model also brings the state new schools specializing in the arts,
careers, literacy, and the sciences. Charter schools are today’s new-model schools. They are smaller, focused, outcome oriented, and more financially efficient. They are important operating side-by-side with larger district schools, not to compete, but to provide the choices we need so all our children can succeed. Every twist and turn in our history had visionary leaders who understood the importance of public education to this country. Independent chartered public schools will rise or fall this year; thirteen (13) Senators’ votes are needed to pass HB1642. Few votes about “schools” this year are as important to our state’s future. Susan Hollins, Ph.D. New Hampshire
Center for School Reform
|
Technical Assist | Charter School? | Applications | How to Begin | Resources | Publications | Calendar | About Us
|
