May 07, 2008
Charter Schools - Hype or Hope - It's Your Choice
Over at the US News & World Report blog, a rather benign post on the occasion of National Charter Schools Week drew the ire of one "Caroline, San Francisco public school parent, advocate, volunteer and blogger, and charter-school skeptic," who dismissed charter schools as all 'hype' and 'hooey'. Well, Caroline, we believe in charter schools. And we couldn't let the uninformed fall victim to the misinformed, so CER's own Kara Hornung responds:
For the past sixteen years charter schools have been making a difference in the lives of our children. Today, over 4,200 charter schools are operating serving 1.2 million families according to The Center for Education Reform (CER). Contrary to Ms. Caroline's claim that this movement is "all hype and no benefit" I'd like to take a moment to explain why the above-mentioned parent is vying for an option and why so many parents across the country are lining up for better educational opportunities.
Today, the U.S. ranks 21st out of 29 countries in terms of mathematics competency, and only 32 percent of our nation's fourth graders can read at proficiency. And while we funnel more and more money into conventional public schools to "fix" the problems, we still do not see the results. Back in 1992 when the first charter school opened in St. Paul, MN, the idea was simple - create schools that are accountable and innovative. Accountability is the hallmark of charter schools, and to date eleven percent of charter schools that have ever opened have closed. Where's that accountability in the conventional public school system? Innovation #1 "pioneered" in a charter school that didn't already exist in traditional public schools: holding schools accountable for results.
In an "apples-to-apples" comparison between charter schools and their closest traditional public schools with similar demographics, Harvard University found charter school students outpacing their conventional school peers by as much as five percent nationwide. When looking at state-specific assessment data, charters continue to achieve at even higher rates. Innovation #2 "pioneered" in a charter school that didn't already exist in traditional public schools: charter schools achieve!
Charter schools on average are funded at 61 percent of their district counterparts. If you take the time to "Follow the Money" you'll see that public students in charter schools are being shortchanged by politics and the status quo that claims charters are draining money. Innovation #3 "pioneered" in a charter school that didn't already exist in traditional public schools: charters are doing more with less.
Because they are not weighed down by bureaucracy and red tape, charter schools and their teachers are not limited or discouraged from going the extra mile to help students achieve. The well-know Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) has students in school from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, every other Saturday and during the summer. Teachers at many charter schools give their students 24-hour accessibility in case students need extra help. According to CER's Annual Survey of Charter Schools, 32 percent of the nation's charter schools have longer school days, an extended school year or a combination of both. And teachers are compensated based on their performance and willingness to do more. Innovation #4 "pioneered" in a charter school that didn't already exist in traditional public schools: charters treat teachers like the professionals they are by raising expectations and providing them a choice.
Ms. Caroline also raises another great myth about charter schools. She claims that charters don't have to enroll the "dysfunctional, alienated, low-functioning, high-need students from dysfunctional, alienated, low-functioning, high-need families." But in reality charters do not "cherry-pick" the best students from conventional public schools. On the contrary, half of charter school students fall into categories defined as at-risk (51 percent), minority (53 percent) or low-income (54 percent). Given the freedom to work hard, charter schools have dramatically changed the outcomes for students in these categories, giving them second chances and bringing new life to their home and community environments. Innovation #5 "pioneered" in a charter school that didn't already exist in traditional public schools: charters don't throw the baby out with the bath water and just label at-risk children as "dysfunctional" - they find solutions to reach even the hardest-to-teach students.
Are parents really lining up for charter schools? The answer is yes!
In 2001, 61 percent of charter schools had waiting lists. Recent news from Harlem found that even after opening an additional 4 campuses, Harlem Success Academy Charter School could not meet the demand of 3,600 parents vying for only 600 spots in its recent lottery. Classical Academy in Colorado has a waiting list of 6,000 students. Boston's charter schools are in high demand: just a few months ago it was reported that there were 5,649 applications for 1,249 spots across Beantown. Innovation #6 "pioneered" in a charter school that didn't already exist in traditional public schools: creating schools that parents and students want to attend, rather than being forced to because of where they live.
It's for all of these innovative and accountable reasons and more that parents like the one who attended the event on Capitol Hill are opting for educational choices like charter schools. And while there will always be skeptics and defenders of the status quo out there who believe it is all "hooey," we can't deny that charter schools are serving the diverse needs of their students. One size does not fit all, and those who believe there is only one way to think about public education are going against the freedom and right of choice inherent in our country's founding principles. While it may not be the choice for Ms. Caroline, it remains a choice -and ought to be so, according to 78 percent of Americans - for the hundreds of thousands of families glad to have the charter school option, and hundred of thousands more on waiting lists hoping for the same choice.
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