BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

[anapuni808]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

and Manoa - I seriously attempt not to "throw around" information that I'm not sure of. If its something I can't support with facts I will either 1) not post it at all, or 2) ask if someone else can back up what I post with their own facts. I perfectly willing to be proven wrong - I consider it a learning experience. I believe you & I have discussed this previously

[damontucker]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

being familiar with just a bit of the testing that is getting done.... you can throw numbers almost anyway you want.... and as a small guy on a large totem pole... I dunno crap sometimes.... and i choose to stay that way so that I don't need to answer question like this...

However, I KNOW that numbers are too easily twisted and they are done each and every day... no need to punch numbers at us at HT without something we can have reference to at least or at least back it up by saying.... I'm just throwing this number out there...etc...

[TuNnL]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

When you are last place in so many categories (such as deadbeat dads), the state tends to get good at justifying why the numbers are of no significance. The feds hate our state, at least when it comes to statistics. Those are cold, hard facts.

[anapuni808]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

OK, but based upon the standard school grading system (100%-90%=A,90-80=B, etc),the regular school system rates a "D" at 64%, and the Charter schools rate a "F" at 55%. Humm.... after looking at it that way, I still do not feel any better about the DOE's performance.

SouthKona - thanks for actually taking the time to put some links and numbers on this thread. It is very helpful to those of us who are interested but maybe not associated directly with the BOE/DOE.

[damontucker]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

Everyone should be interested in the education of our children....

They are our future.

Anapuni... i no like fight you on stupid stuff like this....k?

Hugs...
manoa

[anapuni808]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

Like SouthKona, I took the time to get some more info. This is the official US Dept. of Education website link to a PowerPoint presentation available to anyone who wants to download it.

http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/accoun...ite-index.html

Part of the presentation details the importance of "AYP" and what can happen when a school fails to meet the standards for a certain number of years.

Funny, if they fail to meet standards for a 2nd straight year - the school can be converted to ...................(drumroll here please).......a public charter school, based on state laws. It doesn't say it MUST be - just that coversion is one of the options. Now, it becomes a little more clear why BOE is so scared of charter schools!

It's truly amazing what is out there on the internet

(edited to add a further clarification of my statement)

[SouthKona]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

Maybe thats what you have experienced while you were in schools... (do you have kids or teach or have anything to do with schools now... I didn't think so..) ... however, DOE for the last two years has done it's best to standardize things....

I currently DO HAVE children of school age. I have paid for private tuition when I felt that choice was best for the child, and I have utilized the public school system when that was best for the child. But regardless of my personal situation, kindly note that all people in Hawaii should be concerned about our school system, and all people in Hawaii deserve to be heard (parent, teacher, or not) .... especially us taxpayers, who pay for the DOE system.

The DOE system clearly needs fixing.

[SouthKona]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

Funny, if they fail to meet standards for a 2nd straight year - the school can be converted to ...................(drumroll here please).......a public charter school, based on state laws. It doesn't say it MUST be - just that coversion is one of the options. Now, it becomes a little more clear why BOE is so scared of charter schools!

If I recall correctly, Hawaii has a self-imposed "cap" on the number of charter schools it allows. Now, that is fear in action!

[anapuni808]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

The caucus that I belong to submitted an education reso to the Democratic Convention in May. In it we asked for an increase to that cap,among other things. Funny thing, our reso somehow mysteriously disappeared even though it was printed in one of the booklets that was voted on. Sabotage? yes, it was. However, this reso may get re-written and submitted as a bill for this coming session.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

One thing to understand about charter schools is that roughly half is on the Big Island where poverty levels and rural lifestyles prevail. As such the majority of charter schools on the Big Island tend to children of lesser social skills than their urban counterparts. To many parents here on the Big Island (rural parts) education is not the most important criteria when raising their keiki...survival is. So when the school bus picks them up deep in the unimproved roadways of Puna or Hamakua to take them to their respective DOE public schools, these children cannot keep up with their peers. These children typically fall thru the educational cracks we call NCLB.

These children can typically get into trouble as a result of their lacking social skills so they are expelled. Where do they go? Hawaii's Public Charter Schools are their only place left and they take these troubled students in.

Okay so 55% of them fail the charter schools, but that means 45% succeed. Imagine that! 45% of those who have been written off by our own DOE were salvaged and were able to get back on track. That's 45% that the DOE gave up on.

Charter schools are an important part of Hawaii's educational system and the DOE needs to understand that. It is the second chance for Hawaii's keiki to rebound. It is also an institution for students that just aren't the standard "cookie cutter" kind of public school student.

I've seen juvenile deliquent high school charter school students recover to go onto college. I've councelled students on drugs to focus on their future instead of their next hit and have seen them excel (by just giving them a chance to redeem themselves).

And I've seen former 4.0 Honor DOE students go into the charter school system taking AP classes! Why? Because the charter schools were able to push them harder than DOE schools could, because of their flexible curricullum.

With all the hurdles Charter Schools have to endure it's amazing that they are still ranked better than the DOE's own public schools and it's no wonder why the DOE is so afraid of them and will do everything to ensure it's demise.

[damontucker]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

One thing to understand about charter schools is that roughly half is on the Big Island where poverty levels and rural lifestyles prevail. As such the majority of charter schools on the Big Island tend to children of lesser social skills than their urban counterparts. To many parents here on the Big Island (rural parts) education is not the most important criteria when raising their keiki...survival is. So when the school bus picks them up deep in the unimproved roadways of Puna or Hamakua to take them to their respective DOE public schools, these children cannot keep up with their peers. These children typically fall thru the educational cracks we call NCLB.

These children can typically get into trouble as a result of their lacking social skills so they are expelled. Where do they go? Hawaii's Public Charter Schools are their only place left and they take these troubled students in.

Okay so 55% of them fail the charter schools, but that means 45% succeed. Imagine that! 45% of those who have been written off by our own DOE were salvaged and were able to get back on track. That's 45% that the DOE gave up on.

Charter schools are an important part of Hawaii's educational system and the DOE needs to understand that. It is the second chance for Hawaii's keiki to rebound. It is also an institution for students that just aren't the standard "cookie cutter" kind of public school student.

I've seen juvenile deliquent high school charter school students recover to go onto college. I've councelled students on drugs to focus on their future instead of their next hit and have seen them excel (by just giving them a chance to redeem themselves).

And I've seen former 4.0 Honor DOE students go into the charter school system taking AP classes! Why? Because the charter schools were able to push them harder than DOE schools could, because of their flexible curricullum.

With all the hurdles Charter Schools have to endure it's amazing that they are still ranked better than the DOE's own public schools and it's no wonder why the DOE is so afraid of them and will do everything to ensure it's demise.

With all the hurdles Charter Schools have to endure it's amazing that they are still ranked better than the DOE's own public schools

Craig... can you show me where they are ranked OVERALL better than DOE's Public Schools?

I appreciate your comments... and your knowledge of why the big islands kids are often in a survival mode more than a "get your education mode" as I have seen this first hand also.

[Jewlipino]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

It's a shame Jim Shon got fired. Have they said why yet? I have a lot of respect for him and find it hard to believe that he was mismanaging his position so poorly as to warrant termination. If this is political BOE needs to swing for putting their wishes above the welfare of the students (I could care less for the students wishes, their welfare is what counts). Anyone in a position to get the backstory on this?

Jewlipino

[damontucker]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

I wouldn't say he was fired. The board simply decided that he was not the right person for the position.

Date: September 8, 2006
BOE Expresses Its Continued Commitment
to the State's Charter Schools

In a news conference this afternoon, the Board of Education expressed its continued commitment and support to the state's charter schools.

"The Board would like to assure the charter school community that it intends to work with the Charter School Administrative Office to ensure continued services and support to the charter schools and their students in the interim," said Board Chairperson Randall Yee.

At the Board general business meeting last night, the Board announced that it had voted not to continue the appointment of Dr. James Shon as Executive Director of the Charter School Administrative Office. In its announcement to the public, the Board recognized Dr. Shon for his service to Hawaii's public charter schools and for his commitment to public education.

The Board will be appointing an interim executive director to assist the charter schools until a permanent appointment is made. "The Board will be holding a series of meetings on charter school issues. We want the charter schools to know that we support them and their work in educating Hawaii's public charter school students," said Yee.

http://lilinote.k12.hi.us/STATE/COMM...b?OpenDocument

[craigwatanabe]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

Craig... can you show me where they are ranked OVERALL better than DOE's Public Schools?

I appreciate your comments... and your knowledge of why the big islands kids are often in a survival mode more than a "get your education mode" as I have seen this first hand also.

I was referring to South Kona's post:

http://arch.k12.hi.us/PDFs/nclb/200...ist20060908.pdf

The AYP 2005-2006 final results show 64.5 percent of schools did not meet the Adequate Yearly Progress status.

55 percent of Charter schools did not meet the Adquate Yearly Progress status. (12 schools met the AYP, and 15 did not.) Page 13 of the report breaks out Charter schools.

The Hawaii DOE system is a failure, our youth deserve better!

I've been on school boards for both public DOE and charter schools on Oahu and the Big Island. It's amazing when parents get involved how scores can climb. On Oahu I could go to a PTSO meeting and see many parents getting involved and asking questions. On the Big Island we'd barely have enough to form a committee. One reason why is the driving distance for most school parents especially if they are charter schools where students come from as far as 50-miles away.

On Oahu when I hear adults greet each other, I hear them say, "Let's go for some drinks after work". Over here on the Big Island I hear, "Eh so what whea you stay working now" Transient employment seems to be the way of life here and unfortunately it shows on the keiki when it comes to focusing on school. It's a whole different ball game here.

[SouthKona]

Re: BOE fires charter schools’ Jim Shon

I've been on school boards for both public DOE and charter schools on Oahu and the Big Island. It's amazing when parents get involved how scores can climb. On Oahu I could go to a PTSO meeting and see many parents getting involved and asking questions. On the Big Island we'd barely have enough to form a committee. One reason why is the driving distance for most school parents especially if they are charter schools where students come from as far as 50-miles away.

Yes. Another example is that, sadly, the PTA (PTSA) has given up on our Kona side H.S. - there were not enough interested parents to even continue the group.