The Charter Blog

May 9 2008

Where Clinton, Obama, and McCain Stand on Education

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9 May 2008

US Senate Resolution Recognizing National Charter Schools Week

Thanks to Senator Landrieu (who introduced last year's resolution) for again introducing the Senate Resolution recognizing National Charter Schools Week.

Also, thanks to Senator Alexander, Senator Lieberman, Senator Burr, Senator Vitter, Senator Gregg, Senator Sununu, Senator Allard, Senator Isakson, and Senator Carper for co-sponsoring the resolution!

For the House Resolution, click here.

For the White House Proclamation, click here.

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Red ties and boys' pride

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Cleveland public, charter schools pledge to work together

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8 May 2008

Chicago's Charters Producing Results

So, RAND’s got a new study out on charter high schools in Chicago.

There is lots of interesting stuff here, and I definitely encourage folks to take aread.

The big highlight from the study is that the average eighth-grade charter student in Chicago that goes to high school in a multi-grade charter high school (those serving students in grades 7-12, 6-12 or K-12) outperforms the average traditional school 8th-grader by:

- approximately half a point in composite ACT score (for which the median score for the students included in the analysis is 16)

- 7 percentage points in the probability of graduating form high school, and

- 11 percentage points in the likelihood of enrolling in college.

Like so many other intriguing studies, this one proposes a number of great new questions for researchers to explore, but the one I’m most interested in is why multi-grade charter high schools appear to improve graduation rates. I sure have a guess, and it’s a simple one.

Middle school isn’t easy and puberty’s no fun. But, those charter schools that start with a 6th grade class and add a grade a year (with the initial class of students moving up to the new grade) are able to work with students within the same high-expectations culture for seven years. Plus, by the time the first class graduates, the school has had time to get its legs under it. And we know from numerous studies that the longer a charter is open, the better it performs.

A final note: the study also looked at the old saw that charters “cream students.” Again, as in so many other studies, the authors
found that charters were not “skimming the cream”, or taking the best students.

Kudos to Chicago’s charters for doing what it takes to get their students graduated from high school and enrolled in college. They are changing their city’s and the nation’s expectations for all public schools.

BG

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Mr. Dann's Troubles

Although this editorial approvingly cites Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann's overreaching in the matter of charter schools, we link it here because -- well, the rest of the movement might want to know what's going on in the Buckeye State. Apparently the law of karma is kicking in; as the editorial indicates, the only question seems to be whether the exit path is impeachment or resignation. NS

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