In the October 20, 1997 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer, it was reported that a for-profit company, Education Alternatives Inc., was seking to open language immersion schools in Cherry-Hill, Voorhees, and Mays Landing and college-preparatory schools in Pleasantvile and Mount Holly. Presently, the Historical Trends in American Education class is studying a unit entitled "Curriculum as Response." The premise is that historically curriculum has arisen as often as not out of expressed needs of the community. Rarely is curiculum a change-agent; rather, it is reactive in nature. So, the questions that charter schools present include the following:

• What forces in the community support the for-profit charter school concept and what forces do not? What reasoning do these constituencies offer for their position?
• What philosophical view of the child, the school, and society in general is reflected in the Charter School concept?
• The Inquirer article chronicled both past successes and alleged failures of such ventures. What are some of the ingredients endemic to Charter Schools that could foster success or lead to failure?

The class discussion dealt with these and other questions. For further information about the class discussion, you may contact the Daily Planner within On-Line Courses or the Message Board

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