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An idea whose time has yet to come
In a comment to Educhatter’s blog on teacher quality reform (one of 398 comments!), Sandy asks whether SQE has enough money to start a small private K-6 school in the hopes that the Ontario Conservatives will win the next election, enable charter schools, and allow our new school to convert to charter status.
I have often dreamed along these lines - you know, starting up a demonstration school that shows what’s possible. Apart from helping the limited number of students in the school, it could act as a lighthouse to other schools, inspiring them to excellence.
Before long, however, reality sets in.
In the first place, schools are ruinously expensive. What with start-up costs, salaries, furniture, books, rental, etc., etc., the first year of operation for a school of 200 students would easily run you $350,000. Even if you managed to earn $200,000 in tuition fees - and that’s a big if - you would still have to come up with $150,000. Trust me, SQE does not have this kind of money.
Next, let’s say the Conservatives win the next election - probable, but by no means certain. Assuming they win, there is no reason to believe they will enable charter schools. In fact, if I were a betting woman, I would give you odds of about 10 to 1 against. And even if I lost THAT bet, there would be no guarantee that the charter school legislation would allow existing private schools to convert to charter status. I would say that starting up a private school that will succeed only if it can soon become a charter school would be courting disaster.
Third, it’s really hard to create a good school. I think we could do it (although there is no guarantee), but it would take a huge amount of time and effort by a lot of very committed people. At this point in my life, I’m simply not willing.
But the final reason is the real killer. We all tend to think that a demonstration school which gets exemplary results, head and shoulders above existing schools, would serve as a wake-up call to the education establishment, encouraging other schools to find out how to do it themselves. But this demonstrably does not happen. I have written before about Ontario public schools that achieved excellence (St. Francis of Assissi in Stroud and Parkview Public School in Lindsay) - and they were quickly and savagely shut down by their school boards. The same thing has happened in many other places. The truth is - the education establishment hates and fears excellence, because it makes the other schools look bad. I am convinced that Ontario educators would have no interest in an exemplary private school, instead convincing themselves that the school was terrible in some way and publicly denigrating it - then carrying on with the status quo.
Other than that, starting a private school is a great idea, Sandy.
However Malkin, as Tim Hudak and Dalton McGuinty have left the decision of school types in the hands of school boards, there’s opportunity for SQE to research a school board that has, for instance made use of something like Stairway To Reading or who connect with SQE regularly to develop an SQE model traditional school within that board.
Yes, it would take work and convincing, likely more than SQE directors are willing to consider. It would take more than just Doretta to accomplish, and as you say, to what end?
If SQE sets its heart on a private school though - good luck and for the reasons you list.