The new educational divide
By David Segal
August 3, 2009
AS THE OBAMA administration touts its $5 billion “Race to the Top’’ fund and uses it to promote charter schools, it is time to acknowledge that we are encouraging a new split within our public school system. The old divides along lines of race and class persist, but are now overlaid with a different segregation: one tier overwhelmingly composed of relatively advantaged students whose parents are active participants in their education, and one whose students are relatively disadvantaged and lacking in such support from adults.
Critics of charter schools have long expressed concern that charters tilt toward students with certain advantages over their peers in traditional public schools. To matriculate at a charter school, a child typically needs to be entered into a lottery of all those students seeking admission. This requires having a parent or guardian who is highly involved in a child’s education - enough to know about the possibility of his or her child attending a charter, to conclude that to do so would benefit the child, to apply to enter the lottery and follow its proceedings. Charter parents must also frequently agree to substantial participation in the child’s schooling.
Children of parents who play this active role in their education will tend to perform better in school than children of less-involved parents. The effect of such parental involvement has been measured: Controlling for race, gender, and socio-economics, students with involved parents will tend to achieve at about the 75th percentile - well above average.
Surely, most parents want their children to excel in school, and beyond, and will work as well as they can toward those ends. But for any of a variety of reasons - health, language barriers, constraints from employment, or, sometimes, lack of concern - some children simply do not have stable adult guidance in their schooling. Parental engagement in education should be strongly encouraged, but having involved parents should never be a prerequisite for a child to gain access to the best opportunities. That would mean many kids - those who are already somewhat disadvantaged - would unfairly miss out.
Charter proponents have retorted that parents seek out charters for children who are languishing in traditional public schools, and that charters therefore serve, on average, underperforming students. But that’s not what the broadening body of evidence says in many jurisdictions.
Food for thought. Finish reading here.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Charter Schools Lag in Serving the Neediest
Charter schools lag in serving the neediest
Disparity widens rift with districts
By James Vaznis
Globe Staff / August 12, 2009
Governor Deval Patrick has touted his proposed expansion of charter schools as a way to help students who face the greatest academic challenges, such as language barriers and disabilities. But a Globe analysis shows that charter schools in cities targeted by the proposal tend to enroll few special education students or English language learners.
That imbalance raises questions about how much expertise these schools can offer and about their efforts to recruit such students, whose academic needs are generally greater than those of other youngsters.
In Boston, which hosts a quarter of the state’s charter schools, English language learners represented less than 4 percent of students at all but one of the charter schools last year, although they make up nearly a fifth of the students in the school system. Collectively, the 16 Boston charter schools taught fewer than 100 students who lacked fluency in English; six schools enrolled none.
While Boston charter schools had a higher representation of special education students, more than half still lagged at least 6 percentage points below the school district’s average of 21 percent. In urban districts statewide, special education enrollment was 10 percent or lower at about a third of the charter schools.
The figures highlight a long, divisive debate about charter school success that has grown louder in recent weeks: Are many charter schools achieving dazzling MCAS scores because of innovative teaching or because they enroll fewer disadvantaged students?
Finish reading Boston Globe article here.
Disparity widens rift with districts
By James Vaznis
Globe Staff / August 12, 2009
Governor Deval Patrick has touted his proposed expansion of charter schools as a way to help students who face the greatest academic challenges, such as language barriers and disabilities. But a Globe analysis shows that charter schools in cities targeted by the proposal tend to enroll few special education students or English language learners.
That imbalance raises questions about how much expertise these schools can offer and about their efforts to recruit such students, whose academic needs are generally greater than those of other youngsters.
In Boston, which hosts a quarter of the state’s charter schools, English language learners represented less than 4 percent of students at all but one of the charter schools last year, although they make up nearly a fifth of the students in the school system. Collectively, the 16 Boston charter schools taught fewer than 100 students who lacked fluency in English; six schools enrolled none.
While Boston charter schools had a higher representation of special education students, more than half still lagged at least 6 percentage points below the school district’s average of 21 percent. In urban districts statewide, special education enrollment was 10 percent or lower at about a third of the charter schools.
The figures highlight a long, divisive debate about charter school success that has grown louder in recent weeks: Are many charter schools achieving dazzling MCAS scores because of innovative teaching or because they enroll fewer disadvantaged students?
Finish reading Boston Globe article here.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thank you Pamela Campbell for in-depth analysis and coverage of this issue in the Cape Ann Beacon. Readers, please support this paper in whatever way that you can.
UPDATE: Governor intervenes in Gloucester charter; state education officials vow to stick by vote
By Pamela Campbell/Correspondent
Thu Aug 06, 2009, 06:04 PM EDT
Gloucester -
Stunning many citizens on both sides of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School debate, Gov. Deval Patrick has decided to intervene in the process that had been considered a done deal, asking the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to reopen the process for community discussion, and to take another vote.
Equally stunning, his request has been refused, with the same Department of Education leaders who have been accused of ignoring proper procedure and statute requirements throughout the charter process now citing procedure and statute to justify a refusal to reconsider the issues.
“Because it is essential that the community has utmost confidence in the transparency and integrity of the process, I am writing to ask you to reopen your process and reconsider your decision,” Patrick tells Maura Banta, Chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Mitchell Chester, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in a letter sent July 27.
“The proposed charter for the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School has caused deep division within the Gloucester community at precisely the time when we need people to come together,” Patrick continues.
He cites as reasons for his action concerns about the process raised by Gloucester’s two state legislators, Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante and Sen. Bruce Tarr, in a July 6 letter to him, along with concerns voiced and written by other Gloucester citizens, complaining that the process has been flawed and that the community’s objections to the charter on its merits have gone unheard.
Specific flaws in the process were found to be valid by a legislative oversight committee that visited Gloucester in June. That legislative committee recommended to Chester and Banta that another hearing be held but stopped short of recommending that the February vote results be reconsidered.
Chester and Banta refused that recommendation as well, stating that the oversight hearing itself, in which speakers were cautioned not to address the charter on its merits but to keep comments limited to the process, would suffice in retrospect as the public hearing (in the presence of board members) on its merits.
That declaration places the February vote before the June public hearing, technically violating state statute.
Click here to finish reading.
UPDATE: Governor intervenes in Gloucester charter; state education officials vow to stick by vote
By Pamela Campbell/Correspondent
Thu Aug 06, 2009, 06:04 PM EDT
Gloucester -
Stunning many citizens on both sides of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School debate, Gov. Deval Patrick has decided to intervene in the process that had been considered a done deal, asking the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to reopen the process for community discussion, and to take another vote.
Equally stunning, his request has been refused, with the same Department of Education leaders who have been accused of ignoring proper procedure and statute requirements throughout the charter process now citing procedure and statute to justify a refusal to reconsider the issues.
“Because it is essential that the community has utmost confidence in the transparency and integrity of the process, I am writing to ask you to reopen your process and reconsider your decision,” Patrick tells Maura Banta, Chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Mitchell Chester, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in a letter sent July 27.
“The proposed charter for the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School has caused deep division within the Gloucester community at precisely the time when we need people to come together,” Patrick continues.
He cites as reasons for his action concerns about the process raised by Gloucester’s two state legislators, Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante and Sen. Bruce Tarr, in a July 6 letter to him, along with concerns voiced and written by other Gloucester citizens, complaining that the process has been flawed and that the community’s objections to the charter on its merits have gone unheard.
Specific flaws in the process were found to be valid by a legislative oversight committee that visited Gloucester in June. That legislative committee recommended to Chester and Banta that another hearing be held but stopped short of recommending that the February vote results be reconsidered.
Chester and Banta refused that recommendation as well, stating that the oversight hearing itself, in which speakers were cautioned not to address the charter on its merits but to keep comments limited to the process, would suffice in retrospect as the public hearing (in the presence of board members) on its merits.
That declaration places the February vote before the June public hearing, technically violating state statute.
Click here to finish reading.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
More News
Patrick questions charter school OK
By James Vaznis
Controversy over a new charter school in Gloucester is emerging as a flashpoint in a statewide debate over a proposed expansion of charter schools that is now pitting the state’s education commissioner against the governor.
Governor Deval Patrick took the unusual step last week of sending a letter to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education asking its board to reconsider its approval of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School in February, after Gloucester officials and residents deluged him with complaints over the approval process.
In that letter, the governor expressed concern that the “deep division within the Gloucester community’’ was erupting at a time when people need to come together to support his efforts to expand charter schools and launch other efforts to overhaul education.
“For any of these innovations to launch successfully, it is important that the community members feel that their concerns have been heard,’’ he wrote.
But on Tuesday, Mitchell Chester, the state’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education, and Maura Banta, the board’s chairwoman, rejected the governor’s request for a revote, arguing that it would be illegal under state law.
Because the charter was granted, the only action the board could take would be to revoke the charter for cause, such as a material misrepresentation of facts, according to the letter, which was obtained by the Globe.
Chester and Banta did not respond to requests for interviews.
Finish reading Boston Globe article by clicking here.
Board: Gov. off base on charter
Education panel: Patrick's call would violate state statute
By Patrick Anderson
State education officials have refused Gov. Deval Patrick's call to reconsider the approval of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School, saying that such a move is illegal.
When Patrick's call for charter nullification was made public Tuesday, Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester and state Board of Education Chairwoman Maura Banta responded with a letter, acquired by the Times yesterday, arguing that his suggestion would violate statute and further inflame tensions over their controversial February vote.
They said legally, once approved by the board, the charter could not be reconsidered, only revoked for cause.
Chester and Banta said they would, as suggested by the governor, schedule another public hearing in Gloucester on the charter "as expeditiously as possible."
The fledgling, arts-focused independent public school in Gloucester, whose founders have been looking for a downtown site and executive director, has appeared this week to fall in the middle of a larger political battle over education policy in Massachusetts.
Finish reading Gloucester Daily Times article by clicking here.
By James Vaznis
Controversy over a new charter school in Gloucester is emerging as a flashpoint in a statewide debate over a proposed expansion of charter schools that is now pitting the state’s education commissioner against the governor.
Governor Deval Patrick took the unusual step last week of sending a letter to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education asking its board to reconsider its approval of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School in February, after Gloucester officials and residents deluged him with complaints over the approval process.
In that letter, the governor expressed concern that the “deep division within the Gloucester community’’ was erupting at a time when people need to come together to support his efforts to expand charter schools and launch other efforts to overhaul education.
“For any of these innovations to launch successfully, it is important that the community members feel that their concerns have been heard,’’ he wrote.
But on Tuesday, Mitchell Chester, the state’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education, and Maura Banta, the board’s chairwoman, rejected the governor’s request for a revote, arguing that it would be illegal under state law.
Because the charter was granted, the only action the board could take would be to revoke the charter for cause, such as a material misrepresentation of facts, according to the letter, which was obtained by the Globe.
Chester and Banta did not respond to requests for interviews.
Finish reading Boston Globe article by clicking here.
Board: Gov. off base on charter
Education panel: Patrick's call would violate state statute
By Patrick Anderson
State education officials have refused Gov. Deval Patrick's call to reconsider the approval of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School, saying that such a move is illegal.
When Patrick's call for charter nullification was made public Tuesday, Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester and state Board of Education Chairwoman Maura Banta responded with a letter, acquired by the Times yesterday, arguing that his suggestion would violate statute and further inflame tensions over their controversial February vote.
They said legally, once approved by the board, the charter could not be reconsidered, only revoked for cause.
Chester and Banta said they would, as suggested by the governor, schedule another public hearing in Gloucester on the charter "as expeditiously as possible."
The fledgling, arts-focused independent public school in Gloucester, whose founders have been looking for a downtown site and executive director, has appeared this week to fall in the middle of a larger political battle over education policy in Massachusetts.
Finish reading Gloucester Daily Times article by clicking here.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
News....
Gov. calls to nullify charter vote
By Patrick Anderson
Responding to months of community outrage here, Gov. Deval Patrick has asked the state Board of Education to nullify its approval of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School and begin deliberations on the charter again.
"The proposed charter for the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School has caused deep division within the Gloucester community at precisely the time when we need people to come together," Patrick wrote in a letter to state Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester and Board of Education Chairwoman Maura Banta, and received yesterday by the Times. "Because it is essential that the community has utmost confidence in the transparency and integrity of the process, I am writing to ask you to reopen and reconsider your decision."
As of yesterday, neither Chester nor Banta had responded to the letter. Jonathan Considine, a spokesman for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, would say only that "we are taking this matter very seriously" and "will respond in a few days."
The letter calls for a new Board of Education hearing in Gloucester on the merits of the charter school to replace the Nov. 11 meeting at Fuller School which no board member attended, a perceived slight and central bone of contention among locals who said it invalidated the process.
On top of his call for reconsideration, Patrick has also ordered Secretary of Education Paul Reville, his top lieutenant on school matters, to meet with stakeholders in the Gloucester charter debate to try to "get to a point of agreement that will be mutually beneficial to everyone," a spokesman for the Executive Office of Education said yesterday.
To finish reading click here.
By Patrick Anderson
Responding to months of community outrage here, Gov. Deval Patrick has asked the state Board of Education to nullify its approval of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School and begin deliberations on the charter again.
"The proposed charter for the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School has caused deep division within the Gloucester community at precisely the time when we need people to come together," Patrick wrote in a letter to state Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester and Board of Education Chairwoman Maura Banta, and received yesterday by the Times. "Because it is essential that the community has utmost confidence in the transparency and integrity of the process, I am writing to ask you to reopen and reconsider your decision."
As of yesterday, neither Chester nor Banta had responded to the letter. Jonathan Considine, a spokesman for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, would say only that "we are taking this matter very seriously" and "will respond in a few days."
The letter calls for a new Board of Education hearing in Gloucester on the merits of the charter school to replace the Nov. 11 meeting at Fuller School which no board member attended, a perceived slight and central bone of contention among locals who said it invalidated the process.
On top of his call for reconsideration, Patrick has also ordered Secretary of Education Paul Reville, his top lieutenant on school matters, to meet with stakeholders in the Gloucester charter debate to try to "get to a point of agreement that will be mutually beneficial to everyone," a spokesman for the Executive Office of Education said yesterday.
To finish reading click here.
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