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Business-Managed Democracy

“Business-managed democracies are those in which the political and cultural arrangements are managed in the interests of business”

Sharon Beder

Business-Managed Education

Teaching in Charter Schools

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Teacher protest Charter schools do not have to hire certified teachers. Moreover, the teachers in charter schools tend to be less experienced, partly because charter schools pay teachers less. Charter schools tend to “employ teachers with little experience and a lot of enthusiasm who turn over at a much higher rate than teachers in public schools”.

 

Charter School Teaching Staff – Some Figures


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  Charter Schools Other Public Schools
Uncertified teachers
43%
9%
Teachers under 30
37%
11%
Teachers leaving each year
25%
40% in newer schools
11%

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Around 50 percent of teachers in charter schools in Ohio leave each year, compared with 10 percent in other publicly-funded schools.

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Control over Teachers

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Charter schools also often rely on commercially produced scripted lessons to make up for the inexperience and high turnover of teachers. For example, the reading curriculum in Edison schools, ‘Success for All’, leaves little scope for teacher discretion or diversion or student spontaneity and interaction.

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The principals of charter schools have complete control over the teachers they hire and fire. In KIPP schools, for example, teachers not only have to teach much longer hours than most other teachers but they are expected to be available outside class to take calls on their mobile phones from children with questions about their homework. Unlike teachers in most charter schools, they get higher annual salaries than average public school teachers but many find that doesn’t compensate for the long hours.

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If you have any examples or updates you would like to contribute please email them to me and I will add them here. Please give references for where you sourced the information.