Hebrew Charter School - legitimate use of taxpayer money?

[Danno 1,228]

I don't think they're necessarily any less diverse than public schools. A public school in a poor inner city neighborhood is going to be 90+% African American/Latino (depending upon the city and neighborhood). A public school in a prosperous upper middle class white suburb is going to be... guess what.. 90+% white upper middle class.

I think magnet schools, which intentionally draw students from widely diverse backgrounds across a community, are often the most diverse in their student population mixes.

But these are not quite run of the mill Magnet schools. these are "ethnic" magnet schools which take on a little different flavor.

I would feel much better about it, if a voucher system were in place.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

But these are not quite run of the mill Magnet schools. these are "ethnic" magnet schools which take on a little different flavor.

I would feel much better about it, if a voucher system were in place.

Danno,

I think it is fair to say that if x% of the population of this district is Jewish, then the percentage of lottery applicants from within the district who are Jewish will likely be more than x. Perhaps significantly more.

For example, if you go back a few pages and read the linked article about the Arabic-language charter school, it says "close to 80 percent" of the students who enroll have an "Arabic background". This is despite the fact that the school isn't religious and only teaches Arabic as a second language.

Edited March 15, 2010 by w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r

[jundp 191]

Well, to answer one of your first questions, my guess is they need both an English-speaking and a Hebrew-speaking teacher in each classroom because they want it to be an immersion into Hebrew as a second language...in other words, no one is expecting the kids to come with knowledge of Hebrew already.

This has worked quite well for some of the German-English and French-English schools on the West Coast.

It is possible to teach an appreciate of Jewish culture without any religious indoctrination. I teach the Jewish literature and culture (a major part of which is the Holocaust) in a Catholic school without any Jewish-religion-indoctrination.

Also, Hebrew is actually a main language in archaeology, apparently (according to my son...a Linguistics major -- I don't pretend to actually know this) (yeah, I just gave full credit to my not-quite-19-year-old son)(if he knew, he'd assume Hell froze).

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

The public school district has to pay 90% of the cost of educating one student to the charter school for each student that goes there.

90% is less than 100%.

The shortfall, if there is one, will be covered by private grants. The taxpayer saves 10% however you look at it.

Coupled with the requirement to meet the state's curriculum and the fact that enrollment is an option rather than a requirement, this makes a good argument in favor of such school. It adds to the diversity in education and actually saves public funds. I'd go out on a limb here, too, and suggest that students at this school will receive a better shake than many students at regular public schools.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

... students at this school will receive a better shake than many students at regular public schools.

I don't know. The school district this charter school will reside in is easily one of the best in the central NJ region. I found an interesting data point in an article online - that two out of three Jews in this county live in this, and two other, towns. These towns all have superb school districts and aren't the kind of towns where you think of a charter school as really being necessary. Not necessary from a standards point of view... perhaps necessary for parents who want their children to have a more ethnic education? The school district in which this charter school will operate has seen a huge influx of Indian and Pakistani immigrants in the last decade. Perhaps that is driving this?

Also, speaking of academic standards - this charter will be following the "Primary Years Program" by the IB organization. The only other schools in NJ that follow IB are the elementary schools in Cherry Hill, a Philadelphia suburb with a very large Jewish population.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I don't know. The school district this charter school will reside in is easily one of the best in the central NJ region. I found an interesting data point in an article online - that two out of three Jews in this county live in this, and two other, towns. These towns all have superb school districts and aren't the kind of towns where you think of a charter school as really being necessary. Not necessary from a standards point of view... perhaps necessary for parents who want their children to have a more ethnic education? The school district in which this charter school will operate has seen a huge influx of Indian and Pakistani immigrants in the last decade. Perhaps that is driving this?

Also, speaking of academic standards - this charter will be following the "Primary Years Program" by the IB organization. The only other schools in NJ that follow IB are the elementary schools in Cherry Hill, a Philadelphia suburb with a very large Jewish population.

In that case, the charter school seems to up against tough competition from a quality of education point of view. If it doesn't measure up, I doubt parents will sacrifice quality for ethnic orientation. And if they do, that's their decision to make.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

In that case, the charter school seems to up against tough competition from a quality of education point of view. If it doesn't measure up, I doubt parents will sacrifice quality for ethnic orientation. And if they do, that's their decision to make.

I don't believe there will be any sacrificing of quality. School quality tends to correlate strongly with socioeconomic status of the parents and given the relative lack of low-income households in the township, I am sure the charter school will do just as well as the public district. In essence, this will allow certain parents the ability to give their children a good general education with the added bonus of an ethnic education which they typically have to pay extra for by enrolling them in private after-school programs that cater to their community.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I don't believe there will be any sacrificing of quality. School quality tends to correlate strongly with socioeconomic status of the parents and given the relative lack of low-income households in the township, I am sure the charter school will do just as well as the public district. In essence, this will allow certain parents the ability to give their children a good general education with the added bonus of an ethnic education which they typically have to pay extra for by enrolling them in private after-school programs that cater to their community.

So, the taxpayer saves and the families save as well. It's the very definition of a win-win, isn't it? What's not to like?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

So, the taxpayer saves and the families save as well. It's the very definition of a win-win, isn't it? What's not to like?

The thought of the Jewish presence in the East Brunswick school district being vastly diminished by this school is disconcerting to me. I'd rather not see a state of affairs where Jewish kids go charter and everyone else (mostly asian immigrants) goes to the public school. Taxpayers should not be funding segregation.

I'd have no problem with this charter at all if Hebrew was one of many second languages.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

The thought of the Jewish presence in the East Brunswick school district being vastly diminished by this school is disconcerting to me. I'd rather not see a state of affairs where Jewish kids go charter and everyone else (mostly asian immigrants) goes to the public school. Taxpayers should not be funding segregation.

I'd have no problem with this charter at all if Hebrew was one of many second languages.

The lack of other second language options might actually be a valid concern. And I can see the segregation issue that arises. The question more generally then is whether charter schools based on certain ethnic definitions should be promoted or approved. There's a fair amount of pro's and con's to consider...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

There's a fair amount of pro's and con's to consider...

Yes, there are.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

The thought of the Jewish presence in the East Brunswick school district being vastly diminished by this school is disconcerting to me. I'd rather not see a state of affairs where Jewish kids go charter and everyone else (mostly asian immigrants) goes to the public school. Taxpayers should not be funding segregation.

I'd have no problem with this charter at all if Hebrew was one of many second languages.

A valid point. There is no need to aggravate anti-semitic sentiments by further creating animosity between the the two groups by isolating them.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

A valid point. There is no need to aggravate anti-semitic sentiments by further creating animosity between the the two groups by isolating them.

It's more than that, isn't it? I mean, is this a trend and where does this lead? What's acceptable and what isn't? Can you open a white heritage charter school? Black heritage? Hispanic? Each their own? It can be a can of worms and as was pointed out earlier, Arabic charters seem to exist already so an argument could be made that it is indeed a trend to segregate the next generation. Which would be a giant step backwards...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

It's more than that, isn't it? I mean, is this a trend and where does this lead? What's acceptable and what isn't? Can you open a white heritage charter school? Black heritage? Hispanic? Each their own? It can be a can of worms and as was pointed out earlier, Arabic charters seem to exist already so an argument could be made that it is indeed a trend to segregate the next generation. Which would be a giant step backwards...

This is one genie I'd like to see stuck back in the bottle.

Frankly, someone starting a 'European heritage' charter school with Latin language immersion would do the trick. It's awfully unfair that that's what it would take but that's the world we live in. Of course, such a charter would never get state approval.

Edited March 16, 2010 by w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

This is one genie I'd like to see stuck back in the bottle.

Frankly, someone starting a 'European heritage' charter school with Latin language immersion would do the trick. It's awfully unfair that that's what it would take but that's the world we live in. Of course, such a charter would never get state approval.

I'd like to see someone try and get shot down by the state and then challenge the state in the courts. Not sure how it could be justified to approve one but not the other. That might be the only way to stuff that genie back into the bottle.