1. An independent state board to approve new charter schools and monitor them. Currently local school districts do this with mixed results, depending on the district.
2. The right of parents to choose the school that their child will attend. Public tax money allocated for each child would be sent to the school of his/her parents’ choice. Schools that want to participate in the program would need to apply to be on an approved list with the State Department of Education. Schools would include traditional public schools, magnet schools, charter schools, private secular schools, and private religious schools. In the case of private schools whose tuition exceeds the state allotment, parents would need to supplement the tax fund out of their family income.

For statistics on the critical need for education reform, go to the Homepage.

TEACHER TRAINING

Educators know how to help at-risk students succeed in school (read No Excuses: Closing the Racial Gap in Learning, Abigail and Stephan Thernstrom, Simon & Schuster 2003). Factors include school size, school environment, flexibility to be creative, and teaching methods.

Effective teaching methods for working with at-risk students have been used successfully by our organization for over fourteen years. We invite education majors from local universities to do hands-on training with our at-risk students in kindergarten through grade four. Central to the training is discipline that focuses on teaching self-control. Teachers who are trained to work effectively with at-risk students go into traditional public school classrooms equipped to succeed as a teacher with all their students – those who are advantaged and those who are at risk. Both students and teachers benefit from this specialized training.

LINKS
Itty Bitty City web site www.ittybittycity.com	Center for Education Reform web site www.edreform.com	The Smithson Craighead Academy web site www.smithsoncraigheadacademy.org