The Rise of Alternative K-12 Schools and Alternative Teachers

Perhaps we're nearing the Tipping Point where the Berlin Wall of public K-12 finally comes crashing down.  As entrepreneurs on the internet find new and exciting ways to engage children, parents awaken to the possibilities of steering their children to an education which will help them be economically self-sufficent.  This is especially true of low-income and minority children, who get screwed in our current moribund system.

Alternative schools are booming. And now we see the rise of alternative teacher credentialing programs such as Teach For America. And like most entrepreneurial activities, Texas leads the way.  While some claim standards are low, what's really happening is the opening up of their teacher corps to professionals coming to the professional without having to spend 4 years and thousands of dollars in mind-numbing Colleges of Education.  In other words, real life subject expertise and a knowledge of how to transmit that expertise.

This nation has so many highly qualified people who could do great things in our classrooms, but the bureaucratic hoops created by government in conjunction with powerful special interests create a wasting asset.  Our kids need better.  Let's open up the teaching profession to the large pool of American talent.