By Victoria A.F. Camron
Longmont Times-Call

LAKEWOOD - Traditional public schools, charter schools and online schools should cooperate to improve education, Colorado Commissioner of Education Dwight Jones told charter school supporters Thursday.

"We ought to be partners, not adversaries," Jones said at the Colorado League of Charter Schools conference. Approximately 59,000 students attend more than 140 charter schools in the state, he said.

"I believe quality choice is good for public education," Jones said. "Educating kids is a tough business."

When Edison Schools, an education management company, began operating charter schools in Wichita, Kan. - where Jones was a public school principal - he was upset but couldn't specifically explain why, he said.

To learn more about the company and its schools, he got a job as a principal and enrolled his children in its charter school.

"When Edison came to Wichita, that rising tide helped raise all boats. Wichita public schools got better," Jones said.

"I believe we can learn from each other," he added. Parents who send their children to charter schools are more likely to be involved in their children's education, for example. Jones would like schools with high populations of low-income students to learn how to increase parental involvement, he said.

The Colorado Department of Education is starting to compile a handbook of best educational practices, and Jones wants schools of all types to be included.

"Trying to make things better for kids in this state, that's what it's all about," Jones said.

Other states are looking to Colorado for leadership as they begin to offer school choice, Jones said. But the state needs to improve the options for online education, he noted.

When Jones was the superintendent of the Fountain-Fort Carson School District in El Paso County, the district partnered with an online school to help dropouts earn their diplomas, he said.

"We have to get our arms around choice as it regards online education," Jones said. "The option is here, and we have to get it right."

Victoria Camron can be reached at 303-684-5226 or vcamron@times-call.com.

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=4395

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