David Hoppe’s “Schools Are Different But the Kids Are the Same” (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) starts a discussion long overdue in local school politics. Now that charters are here, will they work?

He questions these market-based models for school change: Does choice equal reform? And if they do not, what does this say about education?

Charter schools are not a civil rights issue, as some say, of equalizing educational opportunities; this is a red herring. This is an education issue of differentiating learning opportunities — of diversifying and customizing learning, and authentic assessments. Providing different kinds or types of schools is just the beginning.

And Hoppe is implying until schools are radically different none, including charters, will make a difference in erasing the division among our schools due to inequalities of race, class and neighborhood. Now charters have impacted on public schools in general because by nature charters are small.

Through the Gates Foundation, IPS is creating a variety of small learning communities. But this is just step one.

Regular or charter, what schools must do is follow best practices. These are tested ideas that promote school improvement. They center around issues and questions of school size, what it means to be smart, school climate, how the brain learns, the role of culture or the arts in learning and teaching, shared-decision making, special education policies, types of assessment and graduation rate formulas.

• Learning. The most important best practice states that all children can learn and there is not one best way to learn. If either regular or charter teachers believe that some children can’t learn at high levels due to poverty, race, gender, ethnicity, nothing will change. Believe it or not, there are still educators who believe some groups are genetically inferior to others.

• Our brain. Recent brain research has proven that each brain is uniquely organized — we are intelligent in many ways and learn through many different styles. This research concluded the brain doesn’t have to be taught how to learn; it is essentially curious, it must be to survive; its search for meaning is innate and occurs through patterning by seeking connection to what it already knows; and, emotions are critical to patterning.

Educators must meet the challenge of finding ways to connect school and learning to the lives of each student, challenging the traditional either “smart or dumb” sorting mentality. Simply put, if we insist on looking at the rainbow of abilities, talents and intelligences through a single lens many minds will seem devoid of light.

• A deficit model of children. Both regular and charter schools must abandon the deficit model. Currently low-performing students are seen as deprived, failing/low-achieving and unmotivated. The new vision challenges the deficit model, one that assumes the problem is located in and limited to a lack in the culture, in abilities, in motivation or in coping skills of the children and their families. This more authentic vision sees these students as culturally different, having unrecognized abilities and underdeveloped potential, who are naturally engaged, self-motivated and effortful in their environment, and who are actually resilient, not at-risk. Schools can build on these strengths.

These are a few of the best practices for any school. Note they do not include school uniforms or memorizing facts or using formulas just to pass tests. Until local schools and charters are authentic and truly unique by differentiating and personalizing learning, expanding what it means to be smart by democratizing intelligence, providing assessment options, sharing school and learning decisions with students and having students apply knowledge for real-world outcomes, traditional schools will stagnate and charters will merely be a more refined version of the regular public schools, both missing the opportunity to bring equality through variety.

John Loflin
PRESTO (Parents, Residents, Educators, & Students forType I Options)

OK, I have to admit, I read the NUVO and Steve Hammer’s column very regularly! Hammer is well spoken and writes with a great style (or a damn good editor). I am not a staunch conservative and view my beliefs are fairly liberal. However, he typically makes me irate and thinking irrational thoughts. I think that part of his points are to provoke thought albeit by pushing buttons.

I was shocked to read (I know I am late sending this) his “A Shout Out to the LPNs” (Aug. 11/18) article. It was an article that actually humanized him. I am an LPN and work in the general area where he was treated. Although I believe that MDs and RNs do have a lot more knowledge than I do, but it was really nice to acknowledge that it is the LPNs that usually are very compassionate people that try hard to answer patients’ questions and calm their nerves.

Sorry that Mr. Hammer had to go through it but could it have been a turning point in his life? Nope, I read his next article and was glad to see that Steve was back to normal.

Michael O’Neal, LPN
Indianapolis

Thank you for the interview with poet Liza Hyatt in your Aug. 18-25 issue (Culture Vulture). I appreciate her creative approach to a life-and-death issue and especially how she has named her feeling about the loss of green and open space in our city as “grief.”

This is how I feel — deep grief — for the increasing loss of the earth everywhere. Human destruction of land, air, water and our fellow creatures (and ourselves) is a much more serious matter than anyone seems willing to face. There is much denial. Meanwhile, we all suffer spiritually as well as physically when we literally lose touch with nature as it disappears or becomes damaged.

I feel this grief especially in this city. When I lived in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pa., back in the ’70s, I had two enormous parks to enjoy, filled with hiking trails, hillsides, countless tall trees. There were several other such parks in other neighborhoods — real parks, not a square of “green space” here and there.

There’s just no similar situation and so few real refuges in this city unless you can get in your car and drive on the interstate or long distances. (For example, I have to drive for 25 minutes just to take a walk on the Monon.) And even those are disappearing, as with the Capital Commons. Meanwhile, even non-park areas should have more trees, plants, etc. rather than just ugly signs and storefronts and pavement.

Please continue your coverage of this matter in hope of more education and, I hope, action to reverse this situation and restore our city to health and wholeness.

Sabrina Falls
Indianapolis

In last week’s story about public art, “Raising Icons,” David Hoppe mistakenly wrote that Mindy Taylor Ross worked at a gallery in Florida that represented the work of Jasper Johns. Ross’ gallery did not represent Johns’ work.