There's a lot talk about charter schools these days but much of the information is contradictory. The one thing to note about charters when looking into them is that they are all run differently. Many newer charter schools have been proven unsuccessful and basically are comparable to their standard public school counterparts. Today's New York Post has a story on Harlem Success Academy's Eva Moskowitz and a charter school started by the teachers union in Brooklyn: LINK. The Harlem charter's students had a 95% passing rate on the state math exams versus the teacher union's Brooklyn charter's 34%. The article also points out that Harlem Success Academy scored higher than many affluent Upper West Side and Upper East Side schools. Then there's today's Wall Street Journal article on the Equity Project Charter School in Washington Heights. Their controversial approach to education reform was in increasing teachers salaries to $125,000 per year: LINK. Test scores have come out now and the students are only 37% proficient in their math scores so the idea that boosting teacher's performance through increase pay does not really seem to be the answer.
So all charters are not created equal and a good number of them are struggling as much as the public schools. Right now, at least there are options for families in greater New York City but it is apparent each school has different ways of approaching teaching and eduction. At the end of the day, it's all about researching how a specific school performs through test scores and records. Photo of Harlem Success Academy at Lenox and 118th Street by Ulysses. www.HarlemSuccessAcademy.org
Well said. Researching can also involve requesting a tour -- and by talking with parents whose children have enrolled.
ReplyDeleteThe debate about the charter schools revolves around the implications of privatization, and the impact this will have on our educational system.
ReplyDeleteIf nothing else, charter schooling by necessity means that parents or guardians or very interested parties are directly involved in the educational direction of a given student. The lack of parental involvement is precisely that central, most important issue, and precisely that issue that the charters do not address. Of course, this is a vastly reductive summary of complex positions and arguments.
Fundamentally, one or even several charter school successes do not repair the failed public school system. They merely remove those students who probably would have succeeded anyway, given parental involvement, exceptional intelligence, personality, whatever. And much as the public schools have failed to reach everybody else, so the charters do also.
I know that to many critics, this seems a predictable solution given our info-byte over critical thinking, wikipedia-stupid culture. This is certainly an issue that requires critical thinking.
Charter school successes certainly do not repair the system, but they do point to solutions. Traditional public schools have been stuck in the mud, without the ability to innovate or demonstrate that it would be possible for students growing up in poverty to achieve at high levels. Students who were NOT succeeding are now doing so, thanks to longer school days, higher academic and behavioral expectations, and quality instruction. Those are elements that any school can learn from -- the excuses can end.
ReplyDeleteGood points from everyone. I would like to add that I believe separate schools for boys and girls would be a big step to help our education system. When puberty hits, kids loose focus on their studies and focus on each other FULL Time ! We need to reverse this now. They can focus on each other after school not during..
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with the segregated schools idea. There is convincing evidence that girls perform better in an all-girl environment.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I both went to single sex schools (I from 8th-12th grades and he from 9th-12th) and we firmly believe this helped keep us focused and prepared us best for college. I agree that it'd be interesting to see the results if this was implemented in Harlem's charter schools, even as a test in one or two schools.
ReplyDeleteResearch is a start, but you have to speak to the parent association and the parents of children already in the school. Questions that should be ask is, How many teachers per ratio of students? What is the schools discipline policy? What is the turn over rate for teachers, assistant teachers in this school? How long has the principle been running the school? How old is the charter school (Any school under 5 years is a high risk). How many schools is housed in this building (buildings that share more then one school, may have problems with staff and or lunch, breakfast times etc.) Tours and open house are set up to make the school sound fantastic (stage their best parents, teachers etc.) Been there done all of this and ended up with the worst experience I've ever had with a school, pulled my daughter out after two years. She is now in a public school and it was the best place for her. Know what your child needs are and get them into a school that will be a good fit for that child.
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