Here is a good example of what I would call double standards relating to traditional public schools and charter schools–more specifically the High Tech High K-12 Schools.
High Tech High Charter Schools, computer/project driven schools, dot the landscape in California. They started out as one charter in 2000, run by San Diego business leaders and educators. Now there are four K-5 schools, four middle schools, and five high schools, many in the San Diego area. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has generously supported these schools. Mr. Gates loves them. Here is a video of Mr. and Mrs. Gates visiting one of the HTH high schools with Oprah in 2014.
What’s interesting is that the words Common Core are not found on the HTH school websites! Common Core is required by the State of California, so HTH schools will have to teach to the Core. And you can find information about their using the Common Core and even Smarter Balance testing on the internet–mostly starting with sixth grade. But they do not seem to be advertising it. If Common Core State Standards are so wonderful, why don’t these exclusive schools brag about them?
What do they advertise? Browse around the websites of the different schools HERE. Below I will share some statements from the various schools.
- Individualized attention. We are committed to providing an environment that emphasizes learning as an interactive process focusing on individual needs of students. Explorer Elem. Charter School.
- Teachers allowed to teach. Explorer teachers are reflective practitioners who create their own curriculum, weave together social, emotional, and intellectual learning. Explorer Elem. Charter School.
- Teaching to the Whole Child. This is mentioned here and there.
- Recess! On the elementary school websites they show elaborate playgrounds.
- The Arts. HTeCV students also take exploratory classes in Performing Arts, Engineering, and Visual Arts throughout the school year. High Tech Elem. Chula Vista.
- Less Testing. Students…are given traditional exams and tests sparingly. At High Tech elementary North County, the measure of accomplishment lies primarily in the students’ ability to explain or demonstrate his/her learning from the beginning of the project to the end.
- Nice furniture. All classroom furniture is specifically selected to meet the physical and social-emotional needs of our children. High Tech Elem. North County.
- Class size limit. Class sizes are kept at 25 students or fewer to support each student’s unique personality, interests, and needs. High Tech Elem. North County. Remember when Bill Gates said class sizes in traditional public schools don’t matter? HERE.
- No student uniforms. They do have dress codes. But students can choose their attire.
- Team teaching. The floor plan is intentionally designed for teams of three teachers at each grade level, who plan collaboratively on projects. High Tech Elem. North County.
- Beautiful buildings. The HTH buildings are uniquely architecturally designed.
- Projects, projects, projects! This is what these schools are all about. And technology drives the projects.
- Deeper Learning. Doing=Learning=Fun.
Many of the above variables do not exist in public schools today, because people like Bill Gates and various politicians have advocated a harsher, no excuses learning environment. But is it fair that he, and others, praise and support the HTH schools, while contrarily dishing up stale bread and draconian standards and curriculum for public schools?
In addition, while many of the variables above are good and decent and should be included in how traditional public schools are run, all that glitters is not gold. These schools are not perfect.
In the video, Oprah emphasizes there are no books (disputed on the HTH Explorer Elem. website), football teams, cheerleaders, or marching bands in these schools. Mr. Gates thinks that’s a good thing, and he claims these schools could be a “model” for the future.
He definitely needs to visit a Midwestern or Texas high school on a Friday night next fall! The activities Mr. Gates doesn’t seem to think matter do, in fact, matter very much. They are a part of the culture of schooling that help young people socialize and build self-confidence. They bind a school together with its community. By eliminating these activities, and even throwing away books, a sacred part of public schooling is destroyed.
Should the high tech schools be a model for all schools? Perhaps they could be a part of a school district that embraces all students. But they should be regulated. Today, HTH schools demonstrate clearly the existence of schools for the haves, even if students are chosen by a lottery, and schools for the have nots. It is difficult to comprehend how public schools in general could maintain the cost of such extravagance.
If you watch the video you observe students working on projects that look elaborate and costly. If these schools were funded by Mr. Gates and his business friends that would be one thing. The point is, and has always been, that while Mr. Gates and company experiment with high-priced showy schools, for only a few, everyone else pays for them too. We become unwilling accomplices in unproven schools that may have many problems behind the scenes. At the same time, we are blighting a whole generation of students out of their future REAL WORLD potential in traditional public schools.
It isn’t fair for a handful of kids to get options within their schools, when sometimes even the barest of necessities are denied other students in their traditional public schools. And it isn’t right that real public schools should be destroyed in this so-called sacred “disruptive” process to privatize public schools.
This isn’t the kind of country that should support that kind of set-up. And even with flashy programs and money spent, there is no research to indicate these students are really succeeding in their schools. They are rogue schools.
Americans need to decide if they want Mr. Gates, and the wealthy few, to run America’s schools lopsidedly, giving a few kids fancy unproven pleasures, or if they want to continue to own those schools and do the best for them, smartly and compassionately. Will we collectively choose to care for America’s children—all of them? I’m afraid that remains to be seen.
I completely agree with your analysis of charter schools. I believe it is a form of segregation. One of the biggest complaints of some parents at charter schools is the diversity. Currently, my elementary school is being co-located with a for-profit charter high school. This is wrong. There were no forums for the elementary school parents or quarterly meetings about any progress. I believe there may have been a single flyer sent home. They came on to the campus under the pretense that it was temporary. Now young children are being exposed to public displays of affection and the traffic is going to get worse. They did put a green plastic mesh on the fence that separates them but events still happen.
To top it off, we are losing QEIA funding next year. So while we showed that we have been serving academically disadvantaged students successfully we are not getting any new monies under the new LCAP funding from our district under the current administration. Why should they? When the school is starved of resources and our enrollment “diminishes” the charter school can take over the school (sarcasm).
We have a toxic environment at my school. I am sure this will get worse. I don’t see how the “business” model of education will help society as a whole.
Ruby, thank you for taking the time to share your story. I often wonder what schools would be like if the charter concept had not been taken over by business. One thing is for sure, there are many different kinds of charter schools and thus far they have not, in general, proven to be better than traditional public schools. Take care.
Charter schools are also killing Catholic schools. San Diego Catholic schools (and across America) are on the enrollment decline! Many are closing and many more are on the verge. Charter schools are attractive to private school parents because they have the flavor of private, but the cost of public (free). We have watched our own Catholic school lose enrollment every year for the last 10 years. My 16 year old’s kindergarten class was 38 kids, and now the kinder class has less than 20. And, now, the Catholic schools have made the fatal blow: they’ve adopted the Core. Now, they are pretty much just like public schools, minus the religious class.
This is an important issue. Thank you also for telling your story. I have heard this said before. Many Catholic schools serve the poor and charters can change the equation. And the Common Core State Standards will be implemented in all schools eventually since they are aligned to the SAT and ACT. Unfortunate.
How instructive. Thank you for this intriguing account of how you see the American system possibly being re-shaped by big business and powerful individuals with ‘pet’ ideas about what eduction ought to look like and how it needs to be reformed. Simply altering the names and a few details, you could be describing the situation in the UK, especially in England. Too sad to admit!
It is my sincere hope that we are able to stem this tide of ideological conformity. It is strengthened globally by a preoccupation with testing and fueled by nations fearing losing their ‘competitive edge’. These twin notions, counting for so much in the eyes of many fail us., More than anything, we need to focus education on that most human of capacities of our ability to collaborate for the mutual benefit of all.
Keep up the good work on your side of ‘the pond’, Nancy.
Very well said, John. In the summer of 2011, I visited England on vacation and stepped off the plane to hear of a teachers’ strike! It could have just as well been in the U.S. It was interesting to me to read about the similar issues. Leah Stewart, also wrote about competition. In its current form it does fail us like you say. Thank you for sharing your valuable insight. Your blog is very interesting, and I intend to continue learning more about the U.K. and its similar problems to the U.S. in education.
Glad to see this critique! I am in the San Diego area, and am constantly hearing people say that HTH is one of the “good” charters. They do some things well, but there are many areas of concern and I am glad to see an article about it. One thing that is rarely mentioned is that they are a State Benefit Charter meaning they never have to go through the local district for approval. And from what I understand, none of the State Board members are elected. The State of CA website says they had a charter revoked on Explorer in Santee for several issues. Not to mention, as the article addresses, these are public funds being spent on Gates’ experiment at the expense of the democratically-controlled schools who really need the funds. If he’s so wealthy, why doesn’t he just fund his school privately? Or if he really cares about education, he could work WITH the public schools, not try to undermine them.
Thank you, Rebecca. This is interesting. Yes, the HTH Charter Schools sound wonderful in their approach and the school facilities are beautiful too. But are they working? It also isn’t fair to de-fund traditional public schools and turn them into high-stakes test factories. I especially agree with your last sentence. I think if Mr. Gates and others from business want to give back to schools, they could work better with teachers and public schools instead of setting policies that will make teachers’ jobs harder.
I actually went to High Tech High Media Arts. It was so different from my expectations. We just worked on projects all year and learned practically nothing. I learned a lot of woodworking skills, but no math or science. I took a chemistry class where we made a soap company and I did not even know what pH was. I never learned how to format an essay, how to study, how to balance chemical equations, how to factor, how to take notes, or even how to use a textbook.
I noticed these flaws in my sophomore year and became increasingly concerned, so I went up to teachers and my director and asked about it. They just avoided my questions, would not let me do independent study, and completely disregarded my needs. I was getting over 100%’s in every class without any effort. There were no AP classes or even any separate honors classes. I was as dumb as the most unmotivated student wanted to be. And there was no discipline. It was a mess. So, I applied to the most academically rigorous school I could find and when I got there the next year, I was in for a christening by fire. I attended HTH since 6th grade and had fallen way behind. I could not takes notes, I thought the Revolutionary and Civil wars were the same thing, I knew no science and I had to take geometry as a junior.
Now, I’m not an imbecile. I received a 33 on my ACT and I try really hard. But HTH put a huge roadblock in my path to success. I’m still in high school, trying to overcome my HTH handicap. So, not only does this system fail the kids who cannot get in, but also those who attend.
Annabel, I’m so sorry. No student should have to go through that. You certainly write well. I always wonder what a school is really like. Now I know. I appreciate your firsthand account and wish you the best.
Annabel, were there students who did well in this environment to your knowledge? How many would you say had similar experiences as you?
Nancy, you truly raise the Elephant in the Room with this article- that of the haves and have nots. I am all for the innovators and the mindsets around design based schools- but the likes of Gates, Kouros and others seem to stop short at going back to industry and the tertiary sector and push for change. Instead they preach to the converted who are left hanging with no real impetus at the higher district level to bring about change, this is leading to a worrying segregation in education- where tech is seen as access for all but where there are truly significant obstacles in the way of those who cannot afford it. I hope their growth mindset messages can reach higher so that access to innovation can reach wider.
The school sounds too loose without clear objectives. It is the extreme opposite of what Gates and his have foisted on public schools in the past. Thanks, Time. I appreciate your comment.
Thank you for pointing out Gates double standard. Maybe his position will firm up when more long term data becomes available. Here’s the latest I could find on the graduates of HTH San Diego. Nearly all are in college or have obtained a degree with an impressive amount studying a STEM field.
“Clearinghouse data indicated that 87% of HTH alumni are still enrolled or have graduated from a post-secondary institution with 34% of the college graduates earning degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) By way of comparison, fewer than 30%of adults in their 20s in California have a college degree according to data from the U.S Census Bureau and only 17% of college students earn degrees in the STEM fields. Current data also shows that 35% of HTH school graduates are first-generation students (first in their families to go to college), and 40% of High Tech students qualify for the National School Lunch Program.”
https://www.hightechhigh.org/about-us/alumni/those-who-graduate/
Your link is to old information from HTH. Leaves out much.
Also please note the description of the school by Annabel above.
Thanks for commenting, David.
The points put forward here are filled with so many holes that I don’t even know where to begin. Schools like this are not for everyone, period! Parents need to inform themselves and decide if this is best for their kids.
You guys here seem to want to perpetuate a system that has failed so many millions of people, instead of giving some room for people to try new things. There is nothing wrong with charters.
Another thing, it doesn’t cost much to keep this school afloat. Are you serious? Those midwestern high schools with all the bells and whistles, now those are expensive.
Last point, I cringe everytime I hear an education argument filled with test score statistics. All you have is your previous test scores. Even there I can show you where many charters outperform district schools. And who cares why they perform better? You seem to be so concerned with replication that it worries me. All you people do is talk these schools as if they will be replacing all of the schools. There’s no one solution. Leave locals up to local people and stop comparing apples to oranges. Stop trying to centralize education with your communal fantasies. We’re a country of individuals not a collectivist society.
HTH from what I’ve seen lacks structure. Having been a teacher for years, I can tell you, Trevor, that schools need structure, and within that structure, you can try out all sorts of innovative ideas. There are many innovative public schools in this country. High Tech High doesn’t seem to rely on real teachers. And schools were never failing like it was portrayed. The truth is poor schools had more problems due to a lack of funding. But thanks for your comment.