The Dreariness of Some Charter Schools Teaching Methods

The New York Times has an article here describing how Alabama is taking over some of their school districts and putting in charter schools, often ones run by large chains.

Students are supposed to sit with their hands folded and their eyes tracking their teacher?  Sorry, but this isn't how children learn.

You want to raise scores?  Flood the schools with books.  Give the kids plenty of time for independent reading. Encourage writing by having the students write about what's important to them.  Teach subjects with hands-on projects.  Reward creativity in both teachers and students.  Essentially, replicate the enriched environments that produce the high-achieving children now.