Dear Editor:
The newly opened Beacon Academy illustrates what is so beautiful about charter schools (“Charter school focuses on individuals,” Sept. 10).
If the central school administration were to mandate the Beacon approach of self-motivated learning for all schools in the district, many patrons likely would revolt. They might prefer that students attend lectures and read assigned books instead of doing service in the community or reading what interests them.
The debate over progressive versus traditional methods of education has raged for decades, if not centuries. In truth, not all children learn the same way. Some need structured lessons; others do best when they learn through discovery.
Ideally, there would be charter schools in every district in America giving students, parents, and teachers a full menu of educational choices. Hooray for Beacon for being one lighthouse for innovative learning.
Robert Holland ([email protected]) is Senior Fellow for Education Policy at The Heartland Institute.
Robert Holland, a journalist and author who has championed school choice throughout his career, is a Heartland Institute Senior Fellow addressing education policy.
