"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Monday, March 08, 2010

Imagine Schools is on a Roll!

The for-profit Imagine Schools are on a roll these days. Just weeks ago, the Kennesaw Charter School celebrated their official separation from the charter manager, and it wasn't long before that that two Florida charters run by Imagine were found to be $900,000 in debt (to Imagine, of course). And this article from Karen Francisco at the Journal Gazette makes it three scandals in less than a month. Here's a little snippet, but the whole thing is worth a read:

A founding board member of the [Imagine Indiana Life Sciences Academy East] charter school, he said members of the mostly African American community surrounding the school now believe they have been shut out of a role in its operation.

Williams, who is no longer a board member, said questions have been raised about how discipline is handled at the school, with an enrollment that's 84 percent African American, 9 percent Hispanic and 5 percent multiracial. Williams said he was told that a teacher at Imagine East made the comment that "my little black students are retarded," and another disciplined students by making them get on their hands and knees on the floor.

He was also critical of the hiring process at the school, which he said mostly excluded people from the immediate community.

If Imagine can keep this pace up, the next installment should appear roughly a week or so from today. Be sure to check back for more.

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