The Charter Blog
29 Sep 2006
Promising Practices in CA Charters
Our roots? Innovation.
The University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education recently released this report on promising practices in charter schools. The practices detailed in the report range from disciplinary systems that find novel ways to reward the modeling of positive behavior, to a school in which knitting is taught across the curriculum. Yes, I said knitting.
There's some great stuff in here: project-based learning, new models for parent involvement, programs for ELL students, etc. This kind of report reminds us that, despite the endless politicizing of charter schools, this whole sector really is about finding what works for children, and these schools are thinking creatively in order to do just that.
JC
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28 Sep 2006
Crossing Political Lines in South Carolina
School choice strains party allegiance in one southern state ...
In yesterday's Wall Street Journal (paid subscription only), we learn that some South Carolinian, African-American Democrats are crossing party lines to vote for a Republican for the state's top education job (gasp!). The reason: school choice. According to civil-rights advocate Dewey Tullis, he is "tired of seeing our young black men graduate high school without knowing how to read and write." The Republican candidate favors legislative action that will make it easier to open new charter schools.
This criss-crossing interests me for two reasons:
1) Voters rarely vote against their parties based on a single issue, and it is fascinating to see that school choice is gaining such momentum that it can become this kind of issue.
2) NAPCS board member, and Chairman of the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), Howard Fuller has a memorable saying, wherein he counsels folks to have "permanent causes, not permanent allies." In South Carolina we see voters demonstrating that party allegiance does not trump the moral imperative of offering quality educational options to African-American children.
JC
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September 28 2006
Reading scores for black students jump at Broward charter schools
Comment »More Michigan Parents Choose Charter Schools
Comment »26 Sep 2006
Good News from Nashville
Let's have another look at that law ...
The Tennessee charter law was, until now, interpreted to read that students may only attend public charter schools if the state ranking system deems their local traditional public school to be "struggling," and that if the local school makes it off the struggling list, any students that opted for charter schools had to RETURN to the local school.
This article from the Nashville City Paper tells us that the state department has adopted a different interpretation, saying that students should be allowed to stay in charters once enrolled. From the article:
"State laws on charter schools need to be revisited and these kinds of ambiguities should be eliminated ... The fact that last-minute interpretations and state reports might be needed to keep children from being pulled out of schools mid-year ... is simply poor legislation."
Couldn't agree more. The stipulation in the TN law is silly to start with ... forcing a student to return to a once failing school is unfair, even if the school is improving. Plus, I would argue that it isn't even REALLY school choice in that case.
JC
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September 26 2006
Neighborhood's Fight Brings New Zoning Rules
Comment »Appeals Court Says No to Federal Funds for Charter Schools
Comment »25 Sep 2006
Florida Authorizer Challenged
Statewide Authorizer May See Legal Challenge
According to this article, the legality of the Florida Schools for Excellence Commission may be challenged by a consortium of local school boards. The Commission was established to provide an charter authorizing alternative outside of the traditional district structure. I don't need to spell out the problems with having school boards as the only authorizers in a state ...
JC
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22 Sep 2006
Eye on the Garden State
South Jersey gets another charter school ...
Normally I wouldn't call attention to the opening of a single charter school, but the NJ State Board of Education overturned the decision of the acting Commissioner of Education to allow Benchmark Charter School to open in Atlantic County. New Jersey now has 54 charter schools that enroll 15,000 students ... but in a state in which nearly 1.4 million students are educated in public schools, charter schools are barely on the map from a market share perspective.
Keep an eye on the Garden State, though. Governor Corzine is looking to reform the manner in which public school districts receive money ... New Jersey's Abbot Districts (mostly inner-city and high poverty) receive redistributed tax dollars as part of a 1990s NJ Supreme Court decision. This means that schools in Camden and Jersey City receive more per-pupil dollars than schools in Short Hills and Cherry Hill. It's redistributive, and I, in the interest of disclosure, am a fan of (moderated) progressive redistribution ... but charters are ineligible for that money, which is inexplicable. On top of that, the districts keep the difference when a charter opens! Corzine is questioning whether the Abbott money is having an impact, as he should, because more money has not necessarily meant better results in NJ's cities. This could mean interesting things for school finance across the board. NJ is a huge state, and we need charters to make a greater impact there.
JC
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