tim wrote on August 15, 2008 08:27 PM: vouchers,yea shannon.got it.

tim wrote on August 15, 2008 08:23 PM: you heard it straight from the horses mouth harry,one teacher,shannon said it was hard the other teacher,travis said it was easy.one teacher dumb,one teacher not so dumb.i prefer vochers so i would'nt have to pick between dumb and dumber.

rontaylor wrote on August 15, 2008 08:21 PM: Dear Shannon
When I was finishing the college of education the PPST was being administered. At that time there was no pass or fail score, it was being established. All my friends told me to take the test then because you couldn’t fail it. Of course I was a know-it-all and decided to wait until there was a pass fail score. I knew a teacher at the time that had been teaching for 22 years and was one of the best teachers I ever knew. He took the test and under the established standards failed it miserably. This test really didn’t indicate his overall knowledge and if he had taken it later he would have been out of work. I think a test like a CLEP (College Level Examination Program) test would be more indicative of someone’s knowledge. If this is good enough for obtaining and challenging college classes it should work for testing someone’s overall knowledge. Sorry I got so long winded.

harry wrote on August 15, 2008 08:16 PM: The 2 charter schools, Nevada Virtual Academy and Connections Academy will have the child learn from home,mostly online, with the help of a certified teacher. Those students will have to take all of the same tests without the bureacracy of the CCSD. He had a computer sent to him as well as textbooks and lab supplies. He loves doing the work and it is nice to see him excited about school. The main opponent of these schools was Cindy Reid and she single-handedly delayed these schools to appease the teachers' union. My son is in the Nevada Virtual Academy and we were quite pleased with the curriculum. Now we can put both of our children in the school because it goes from K-9. Charter schools aren't for everyone but they are efficient and have to produce results. The teachers are on a year to year contract and have no union. I don't have to worry about school violence, poor teachers and the other things that are wrong with the CCSD because I am involved in his education. It really does come down to the choice you want to make for your child.

Tammy wrote on August 15, 2008 06:25 PM: Lack of Common Sense -
This may seem like an obvious point, but Mr./Mrs. Common Sense seemed to miss it so I'll point it out.
Yes, you can put your child in any of those other types of schools. HOWEVER, you still have to pay the same amount of taxes and lose the same amount of money that goes directly to fund a poorly performing school district.
Why should I pay for your kids to stay in the pathetic school district that is CCSD AND for the option have my kids educated appropriately?
It's not that I mind paying for my own children - I do have a problem paying for yours.
Self reliance and accountablitiy - the first thing to go when the "government" aka, people that can pay their taxes, cover for those that feel entitled to everything.

DJ2 wrote on August 15, 2008 06:17 PM: For those parents whose children attend charter or magnet schools, how do your children get to and from school? How long is the typical school day from the moment a child leaves in the morning til he/she arrives back home in the afternoon?

I've heard of some really long days for these children, but I'd like to know the facts from the parents involved.

LizzieKo wrote on August 15, 2008 02:41 PM: Brian-thanks for the positive comment on Clark High. Both my sons graduated from Clark - one in the magnet program and one in the gen ed program (courtesy of a zone variance). They thoroughly enjoyed their years at Clark and made some great friends. The location of a school is no indicator as to the caliber of the students. Palo Verde is a prime example.

Travis wrote on August 15, 2008 02:01 PM: For those who don't know what it is, PPST stands for Pre Professional Skills Test. If I remember correctly (took it 5 years ago) it has three parts, reading, writing, and math.

Honestly, it's not a difficult test. However, it does nothing in determining if somebody is, or will be, a good teacher. It does weed out those who haven't mastered those basic skills.

Shannon wrote on August 15, 2008 01:21 PM: Ron:

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you on this: "Parents should not have to take the PPST test, most teachers have trouble with it and it is not a good indicator of whether a person is a good teacher."

You are correct in stating that the PPST is not a good indicator of whether a person is a good teacher, but it is certainly a good indicator of whether a person knows the subject matter. I personally knew quite a few teachers who had difficulties with the PPST and had to take it multiple times. In my opinion, these were not the brightest people in the program to begin with. I have no idea how well they do in the classroom, but knowing your subject matter is important as well.

Dave Morgan wrote on August 15, 2008 12:36 PM: Thanks for the headline. Now finish it by acknowledging that charter schools typically garner students from the richer families in the area, parents who can ferry their children to and from school and generally value education more than most. What the U.S. needs is a re-invigorated public education system that doesn't cause rich (charterschools)/poor(all other)schools, to promote the continued stratification of upper and lower classes in this country. Otherwise we will start looking like El Salvador. The miracle of the United States is its truly democratic society with equal opportunity mainstay. The "elite" building in this country through corporate-think and gated communities has swelled to toxic proportions. It must stop, or we'll lose the country.

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