#67, May 16, 2001
Word roots, the origins of our language… often they are
mundane, but occasionally they reveal a wonderful depth to a concept we had
taken for granted. The word "educate" comes from the Latin
"educere", which means "to lead forth." Education is the
leading forth of the next generation, giving our children the skills and wisdom
to survive and prosper.
As a species we have drastically changed the way we live
without discernable changes in our outward appearance (or, as my Marketing guy
might say, our "hardware feature set".) Our evolution is cultural,
and thus education is its driver. We learn and teach use of tools: to hunt and
gather, to sow and reap, to compile and debug. Along the way, we learn and
teach beliefs: the rules of the tribe, the Ten Commandments, the Company Core
Values. We lead forward into what we hope is a better tomorrow.
Today, our children are educated by relatives, schools, and
increasingly by the media (whose interests unfortunately don't often match up
with ours, professor Joe Camel being a prime example.) And while our public
school system, despite its handicaps, has done an respectable and often
excellent job of preparing young people for a better world, it can be bound by
politics and bureaucracy, facing the impossible task of meeting a wide range of
community demands in a fast-changing world.
The Charter School movement is one attempt to address these
challenges. In case your were as ignorant of Charter Schools as was I, here's a
few things to know. First, Charter Schools are public schools. They must
be sponsored by a local school board, which approves a Charter defining how the
school will be run. In addition, the school must be financially and
academically accountable to that board. They must be open to anyone, and free
of tuition. They are a fair alternative to private school voucher programs.
Following the evolution metaphor, Charter Schools are
mutations of the large public schools. Their relatively small size and fewer
top-down restrictions allow them greater flexibility to develop education
programs which may more effectively meet a segment of a community's education
needs. I say "may" because there's no guarantee of success. If they
are successful, they provide an alternative choice for parents, children, and
teachers. Ideally, they create competition which pulls up the performance of
the nearby conventional public schools. Eventually, the benefits of their
innovations are shared with the other schools. In many ways, it's like a
public school version of the start-up technology companies.
Petaluma has two Charter Schools: the established Sonoma
County (soon to be renamed Petaluma) Charter School, and the fledgling Live Oak
School. I have good friends deeply involved in each school. They both emphasize
that lots of parental involvement is what makes them possible, and makes them
great. While the State provides support for operations (e.g. teacher salaries,
classroom supplies) based on attendance, the school organizers have to come up
with the school site. In this tight real estate market, that can be a Herculean
task, even for a place to put a mere hundred students, says my friend with Live
Oak.
While my children have had great teachers at local public
schools, I wish Live Oak would have been around 15 years ago when my oldest was
just starting. Their Charter calls for a program resting on "three
pillars". First is "whole child" education, a Waldorf-based
approach emphasizing hands-on and nature-based work. Second is multicultural
focus, recognizing the changing demographics of our locale. Accordingly,
they're reaching out to the Latino community for enrollment. Third is good old
parental involvement.
Live Oak plans to open this fall, but still has openings for
their K-3 enrollment. For some fun community-building, they're holding a free
May Market Festival from noon to 3 this Saturday at Walnut Park. They'll have music, games, and food, and
toys for sale. You can learn more about Live Oak at www.sonic.net/~liveoak, or by calling
them at 775-4181
My friend who is now President of the Sonoma County/Petaluma
Charter School, says "This is grass roots education!" I say let it take root, and help lead us
forward to a better education for everyone.