Georgia Charter School Legislation on my Mind

The state of charter school authorizing power in Georgia has been a roller coaster ride. Here’s the summary of the ups and downs: A State Supreme Court ruling last May struck the state’s power to authorize public charter schools. In addition to ending a best practice of having multiple authorizing entities in a state, it left several schools stranded without an overseer of the accountability and operational standards outlined in their charters. Since May, charter school supporters have been pushing for a state constitutional amendment to restore State authorizing power.

Two weeks ago, it seemed like victory was within reach. The state House voted on the measure to restore the State’s ability to authorize charter schools, but it fell just 10 votes short of passing with the two-thirds majority required (Tony Roberts, president and chief executive officer, Georgia Charter Schools Association, gave us a candid insider account of the politics behind the vote).

The bill might have failed, but efforts continued. On Wednesday, Feb. 22nd, the Georgia House of Representatives reintroduced the bill, and a number of lawmakers changed their votes after working with the bill’s sponsor to make changes, including a provision guaranteeing traditional public schools funding even if large numbers of students chose to attend charters. Ultimately, the bill passed the State House by three votes.

"It's just the first battle won in the war," said Tony Roberts, "but it's significant because we can move forward to solve the problem caused by the Supreme Court." The bill passed out of the Senate Education and Youth Committee on Thursday, Feb. 23rd with a 7-5 vote, and now moves to the Senate floor.

Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, has been an integral player in the on-the-ground advocacy efforts. He wrote a recent op-ed that expressed the need for passage of the charter school amendment, “Every once in a while, life gives us a do-over, a chance to revisit decisions we have come to think better of. The move to reconsider the proposed charter school amendment is one of those rare opportunities. Please take it.”

Charter Schools as a Catalyst for Building Civic Capacity

Civic capacity—the notion of  multiple sectors of the community coming together in concerted action to address big issues—has been examined by education reformers and researchers who argue it is critical to making systemic and long lasting improvements in the public education system. It has been suggested that public charter schools do a great job of engaging parents, educators, community groups, and philanthropists in individual schools. But charter school critics raise the lingering question: is the charter school model serving the greater public good in terms of efforts to improve all public schools?

Sure, larger entities like traditional school districts or cities are positioned to engage with a wide array of public and private actors in collective commitments to reform school systems. However, despite a markedly smaller scale, charter schools are not isolated institutions with limited connections to the larger public education system. Rather, charter schools are public schools that open pathways for non-traditional groups to get involved in operating schools. And charter schools can be (and have been) used within school districts and cities to provide new opportunities to mobilize large-scale civic engagement.

In cities like New Orleans, D.C., and Philadelphia, charter schools have served as catalysts for building civic capacity through strategically engaging community leaders to operate charter schools. In New York, authorizers are actively recruiting existing organizations that provide services to high-needs students to found charter schools.

Or take Indianapolis. A new study describes in detail the way in which government officials, business leaders, local philanthropists, university scholars, and local educators identified big problems—a declining economy and dismal education outcomes—and then coalesced around charter schools to meet the needs of the community. The strategy was not about any specific charter school, but about creating a new landscape for public education where community support for public education was put into practice. (Check out this report from Bryan Hassel that lists the community organizations that founded some of the early charter schools in Indianapolis.)

These cities show that charter schools can be used to mobilize civic engagement for the greater good of the public education system. And current trends show this work is being cultivated to expand mutual impact and quality of traditional and public charter schools.

Re: “Why states should say 'no thanks' to charter schools”

In Tuesday’s Washington Post, Diane Ravitch calls Washington D.C.’s public schools “no model for school reform,” clearly demonstrating that she is in need of a history lesson.  Ravitch may recall that just eight short years ago, prior to the emergence of charter schools, Washington D.C. students scored dead last among every major U.S. city, according to NAEP.  That has remarkably changed, as D.C.’s public schools have made steady gains, with charter school achievement rates rising even faster.

D.C.’s regular public schools are improving by mimicking charters’ successes.  Schools such as Achievement Prep Academy, D.C.’s highest-performing middle school, located in the city’s poorest Ward, along with several KIPP charter schools are inspiring broader public school improvements for families that need them most. 

Across the country, in places like New Orleans – with an educational environment now thriving with 80 percent of students in charter schools, Los Angeles – where 5,000 parents recently gathered with the city’s Mayor to press for more high-quality charters, and even Denver – where a supportive school district is replicating charter innovations into its broader school system, charter schools are a welcome solution. 

This school year, 200,000 additional students enrolled in charter schools – bringing national charter enrollment above two million students. More families are getting what they have needed for decades, the ability to choose the best public school for their child.  This is why the 42 states that allow them are saying ‘thanks’ to charter schools. 

Charter School Cap Lifted in TN; Quality Remains the Priority

Tennessee is positioned to see a large expansion in the number of charter schools over the next several years. Changes in the state’s charter law, driven by the state’s Race to the Top efforts, effectively removed the artificial cap on charter schools growth, eliminated enrollment restrictions, and created an Achievement School District–which can contract with high performing charter networks for school turnaround efforts. These legislative changes that increase student access to charter schools gave Tennessee a 7 point bump in our Model Law Rankings Database.

Moreover, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean launched the Tennessee Charter Incubator to attract high performing charter school operators to the state.  As a result, eleven new charters opened in Tennessee this past fall, representing 38% growth in the total number of charter schools.

Perhaps in earlier years of the charter movement, these legislative changes would have led to a massive influx of new charter schools based on the idea of letting a thousand flowers bloom. However, the response in Tennessee demonstrates that policymakers and educators are thinking carefully about expanding charter schools with an eye toward quality. (Check out this article for an engaging read on what’s going on in Tennessee charter schools.)

And Tennessee is not alone in its focus on quality for new charter schools. NACSA’s recent report on authorizer acceptance and closure rates suggests that authorizers are getting tougher on charter school applications. Authorizer approval rates have decreased from over 60% a decade ago to closer to 40%. The focus on quality by policymakers, authorizers, and educators in Tennessee reflects a shift in the charter movement and proves that charter school growth and quality can go hand in hand.