Joel Key is an eight year teaching veteran who, before coming to Impact Academy, taught at a traditional public school in New York. Four years later, Joel believes that he has seen much more professional growth for his students himself as a teacher at Impact.
Joel does not think that charters are a the end-all be-all but he does believe that they enable the flexibility needed for innovation.
“I do not think that charter schools have the answer to everything but there is a lot of freedom, a lot of energy, and there’s a lot of change that’s happening in charter schools that excite me as a teacher.”
He also discusses conversations he has with friends who teach at traditional public schools, the flexibility and freedom that charters give to teachers and administrators to respond to students in more relevant way, and the hope it gives to families.
Watch Joel’s video below.
So the problem is district-level administrators and bureaucrats who are denying schools the freedom they need to meet students’ needs. Let’s fix the real problem: rigid school and district administrations, like Maria Goodloe-Johnson and Susan Enfield, two LEV favorites, who will not grant schools needed autonomy.