Charlotte Observer Puts Charters In Their Place
If you've spent any time at all following the ravings of North Carolina's free-market extremists, you know that they see charter schools as something akin to the second coming. If only the politicians would lift the cap on charters, all would be right with the world and challenges in public education would magically be solved. Today the Charlotte Observer weighs in with a well-reasoned editorial that puts things in perspective.
On the heels of a blue ribbon panel's recommendation to increase the number of N.C. charter schools, state education officials are making good on another of the group's proposals. They're cracking down on existing charters that are poor academic performers. Good. Too many charters fail to meet requirements explicit in N.C. law. Chief among them: a mandate to improve student performance.
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Increasing the number of charter schools is a good idea -- if the state Board of Education holds charters to the standards lawmakers outlined when charter schools were created. That's something the board has failed to do. The Blue Ribbon Commission on Charter Schools was aware of that. So in addition to recommending expansion of charters, the panel urged the state to take action against low performers.
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North Carolina's charter schools have been valuable. Many provide exciting and enticing learning environments. But, as a North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research study found last year, many N.C. charters aren't living up to their core mission. More than 53 percent fell into the lowest performance categories, based on state testing data. That was worse than the 48.1 percent for all N.C. public schools.Ran Coble, director of the research center, summed up the problem aptly: "Providing a choice is not enough. It's got to be a good choice for educating North Carolina's students." It's good to see state education officials moving more aggressively to make sure it is.
I am a fan of charter schools because they are small schools. They don't require the gigantic infrastructure (both physical and organizational) that factory schooling requires, and they have the potential to foster learning in ways that larger institutions simply cannot achieve. But even small schools can suck, and simply raising the cap to have more schools is not a recipe for having good schools.
It's baffling to hear free-market extremists opine about this issue. They're all about accountability in government on almost every front, but charter schools are the Trojan Horse they've chosen to dismantle public education. They cross their fingers and hope the schools succeed without any concern for oversight. Parents, they say, should decide if the schools are doing the job.
It's another one of those "eventually" things. Too bad if a bunch of kids get screwed in the meantime.
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More on charters from Rob Schofield
In an excellent column at NCPW.
We loved out charter school
But it was intended to be a school geared to high academic achievement with a very high level of diversity. It was an international school with children from all over the world - many are/were children of visiting professors from UNCC. It's tough financially getting them off the ground. We faced giving almost as much over 5 years as we would have a private school for the capital campaign. The difference is that it wasn't required.
I have no problem with charter schools that meet special needs, but if there is no barrier to academic performance, the students and teachers should be held to the same standards as all other public school students.
Union County started its own charter high school for the arts and technology. The school system provides busing - which many charters don't have access to. That's my only issue. Even though our school admission was on a pure lottery system, certain people would naturally be left out because there was no transportation or hot lunch program.
Minor nit to pick.
I really object to the term "factory schools". Traditional public schools can be good or bad - in the same way charter schools can be. Let's be fair when characterizing them. Please?
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
Public schools
I am a strong supporter of public schools and have served for years on the Public School Foundation in my community. That said, I have the strong opinion that most public schools have become entirely too large in almost every dimension you can imagine. Especially high schools.
The only honest case I've heard for the need for mega-schools is related to the number of big guys required for a competitive football team.
When I use the term, I mean for it to evoke concerns about scale, not about quality. Toyota operates massively large factories, which by most standards are considered "good." I just don't think that's the best way to educate children.
Thanks for the clarification.
You're right about a lot of it. There are a lot of places where the traditional school is the only option -- and charter type school, or smaller, magnet schools are out of the question because of higher administrative costs associated with them. It's a shame, really. A damned shame.
Give me just one day's worth of the money spent in Iraq, and I could fix NC's schools.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
Darn right you could. Amen sister.
So that would mean with about 50 days worth of Iraq $$$ you could fix every state's schools. Just imagine what we could have done with the other ~1750 days worth of money.
OBL doesn't need to do anything else; we're cutting our own throats.
Person County Democrats
Charter Schools/Vouchers & "Educational Reform"
The Charter School movement deserves to be called out for a lot of reasons, but to me the Charter School Movement seems like a back-door Voucher program.
For an example of a Public School that is doing well, take a look at W.G. Pearson in Durham. I am not sure about their test scores or the other fake measures of progress, but there is a Magnet School with an excellent, young Principal, a great group of parents and motivated staff.
The sense of spirit that school has is inspiring to me, as well as the motivated involved parents - who strongly support the activities of their Public School.
While this may (or may not) be the exception to the rule in Public Schools, it is an example of what is right about Public Education.
I remember when Vouchers were the panacea, but when people realized that they are a charade, along came Charter Schools. In many ways, as we come to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, this is the same battle he fought.
Am I the only one that feels that Charter Schools is another attempt to reinstate "Separate, but Equal?"
Has anyone done a study of the racial make-up of these schools versus the school that the students would have attended? I don't have the data, so I am not making that accusation, but it might be useful to study that since the excuse of poor performance is often that these schools are working with minorities and disadvantaged kids.
--Because Freedom is not just another word
The Idiocrat