First, there was the OC Weekly article raising serious questions about whether Soka University of America is providing liberal-arts education or SGI-style indoctrination.
Now, Spirit of Knowledge Academy -- a charter school in Worcester, Mass. -- is turning out to be a taxpayer-funded failure according to a new report.
The school denies connections to Soka Gakkai. But SOKA's application to the Massachusetts Department of Education stated: "The SOKA humanistic philosophy is best articulated by Daisaku Ikeda...." The document identified Ikeda as an "educator."
Ikeda heads SGI, the world's largest and wealthiest Buddhist sect, regarded by many as a cult of personality centered on Ikeda.
According to a new report:
Worcester city and school leaders on the attack Monday after a new report shows the city's newest charter school is doing little to educate students who fall within the achievement gap. ... something mandated by the education reform act.
3 comments
A charter school's students do better than public school students. No wonder public school administrators are upset.
Ikeda is the greatest educator of all time! so why isn't teh childrens learning?If the school's performance continues to lag, they will lose their charter. These schools come and go.With Soka's billions, they don't need tax dollars to support their school. They could just start a private school, after all. It does raise questions for me about why they chose to go the route of taking public money.It's just funny, all of this. SGI members think that Ikeda and Makiguchi have revolutionary educational theories that, if applied, would transform American education. Like they have some magic technique that no one ever thought of before.But when the rubber meets the road, you get a struggling Spirit of Knowledge charter school, an embattled and grandiose Soka University of America and Philip Scharper, the hate-chanting school principal.
The way I interpreted the video is that people aren't complaining because the school is failing overall. It's failing to teach the kids who are struggling.The general complaint that public schools have about charter schools is that they cherry pick the best students -- the kids who aren't in the "achievement gap." Kids at charter schools have great test results -- of course! -- they were the best students when they were in public school, too.The issue is how do you help the struggling students, the ones without parental support -- or the ones who have delays and other problems to contend with.That's what Spirit of Knowledge is supposed to be doing -- helping these kids who aren't achieving. And it turns out, they are not helping these kids.Does it really surprise anyone that something connected to Soka serves the elite while spouting a lot of empty rhetoric about helping those who need help?