I cannot blame someone for simply being ignorant of facts. Ignorance is disappointing yet sadly commonplace. Mr/Ms Sheerin is clearly unaware of why charter schools exist, how charter schools are funded and how they are considered and approved by the Dept of Education. Sadly, he/she feels confident enough to make pronouncements on subjects of which they know very little.
What is unnacceptable, however, is Mr/Ms Sheerin’s baseless and offensive accusations about the motivation of the founders of the Princeton International Academy Charter School and implications that we manipulated (“finagled”) the process for personal benefit.
Taking a page from Fox News, Mr/Ms Sheerin has attacked me and other founders personally yet never had the courage or decency to ask me about my motivation for becoming a founder of PIACS before writing such a poisonous letter. He/she does not deserve the dignity of a response. But since WWP News decided that such a letter was in the public interest, I feel compelled to explain for the sake of public accountability.
While I am privileged to be able to afford to send my children to a private school, many families in our community cannot. It is my belief, and that of other PIACS founders, that top level education should not be limited to the children of families who can afford the private schools in our community. The International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum and dual language immersion programs should both be part of the PUBLIC school system so that all children can benefit from their proven advantages. Moreover, we are seeing top PUBLIC school districts around the country providing exactly these programs. But ours do not.
I could simply allow my children and other economically advantaged kids to reap the benefits of an IB and dual language immersion program in the comfort of a private school. But the founders of PIACS applied to the state Dept of Education for the opportunity to provide this educational choice to ALL families in our districts regardless of race or economic condition. At the end of an open and clearly defined process, the Commissioner of Education, in the letter of approval, agreed that PIACS offers a choice that should be part of the public education system.
The founders of PIACS are making personal and economic sacrifices in order to enhance public school education. One may disagree with the need for an IB curriculum or dual language immersion program in a public elementary school. Many people feel status quo is fine. I disagree but can accept the difference of opinion. But to make baseless accusations that I and others are doing this purely for our own personal benefit is morally reprehensible. Moreover, to imply that we finagled, manipulated, or cheated a public process to get approval for the school is libelous.
I encourage Mr/Ms Sheerin to do exactly what they say they are tempted to do: open a public school. Instead of spending time personally attacking people who are trying to improve the future of children in our community, you should put your effort behind a productive endeavor that would help people.
Parker Block
Co-Founder
Princeton International Academy Charter School
To The Editor:
New Charter School
Not a Luxury Item
In recent presentations and articles about the budget challenges facing our schools, district administrators in Princeton and West Windsor-Plainsboro point out that, for several years, they have been “losing control” over decisions affecting the quality of education in the schools. They pledge a “long fight” to regain the control that they lost. They make a good point. All too often taxpayers watch as control shifts from one bureaucracy to another with no fundamental improvement in the quality of service, management efficiency, or accountability.
These power struggles between bureaucracies serve no one but the bureaucrats themselves. It is sad, however, when the district administrators’ need for power and control motivates them to “fight” taxpaying parents of the children they are supposed to serve. Parents have no salaries or benefits at stake. We only want one thing: to improve the quality of education in our public schools.
The parents who created the Princeton International Academy Charter School (PIACS) recognized that our public schools, though good, are not keeping pace with top districts nationally and internationally. That is why we asked for and received permission to create a public school that offers a curriculum which, we believe, better prepares students for the challenges and opportunities they will face in the 21st century. How?
First, PIACS does not confine itself to state or national standards of competency. Our teachers and administrators will look nationally and internationally for the best methodologies that can be applied to the curriculum. One such example is Singapore Math. For years parents, particularly in South Asia, have witnessed the positive impact of Singapore Math in their schools. PIACS parents believe it will have an equally positive impact here.
Second, the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum framework has, over the past 40 years, has developed into one of the best methods for ensuring comprehension and developing critical thinking. Many top public schools in the U.S. and internationally have successfully introduced the IB program. In New Jersey, the Cherry Hill district has repeated this success. PIACS parents also believe the IB program should be a choice available within our public schools.
Third, fluency in strategic world languages may have been dismissed as a “luxury” in the 20th century. But informed observers of the world today agree that it is a widely recognized prerequisite for creating opportunities and meeting challenges in the 21st century. For years, dual language immersion at the earliest stages of education has been proven to be the best way to acquire foreign language fluency. This is particularly true for native English speakers trying to learn a strategic Category 3 language such as Mandarin or Arabic. Languages are best acquired young.
Moreover, it is proven that learning a second language early will improve a child’s metacognitive skills. Therefore, language immersion has a positive effect on other areas of learning, including language arts. PIACS parents believe we too should include dual language immersion as an educational choice in our public elementary schools.
PIACS is introducing a curriculum that has been available in other districts nationally and internationally for years. Nevertheless, we understand that some parents will initially be somewhat uncomfortable with a curriculum that seems to them to be so new. That is why this curriculum is best introduced into the public system through a charter school. PIACS parents, teachers, and administrators look forward to working with the other public schools to share best practices that will be used to improve the standards of education in our public school system.
It is human nature to want to retain control and power. And it is not unusual to see administrators label progress as a “luxury” in defense of the status quo. Yet I hope that our local school administrators will eventually understand that threatening a “long fight” with taxpaying parents is not in the best interest of the children in our districts. Moreover, administrators would be wise to note that PIACS is being created by taxpayers for the children of taxpayers.
I certainly do not underestimate our administrators’ power and deep-seeded interests. Likewise, they should not underestimate the determination of well-informed and forward-thinking parents to improve the standards of public education in our districts. Parents are encouraged to get better informed about the curriculum offered by the Princeton International Academy Charter School at www.piacs.org.
Parker Block
