Posted under Edublogging & Education Politics & Innovation and Reform & Public Charter Schools & Research & School Choice & State Legislature & Urban Schools
The argument only grows stronger that charter schools work. While some will dwell on the exceptions, the big picture becomes clearer and clearer. A new study by the Boston Foundation finds that in their city “charter school students consistently outperform their peers at pilot schools and at traditional schools.”
As Core Knowledge blogger Robert Pondiscio notes, even factoring out the selection bias of more motivated parents shows charter schools doing more to improve student achievement.
And the well-read Dr. Greg Forster puts the Boston study in context to note that “charters are an improvement over the status quo, even if only a modest one, as a large body of research has consistently shown.” He observes that “more freedom consistently produces better results, and more unionization consistently doesn’t.” Charter schools are one good way to bring more freedom to the education system so good ideas and practices can blossom while bad ones are rejected.
Though there are some good theories out there, it would be good to see more rigorous analysis of exactly why charter schools tend to perform better. It could only help to improve education policy for the benefit of students like me. Officials and leaders of other public schools would do well to take notice.
Bringing it closer to home, the legislative session here in Colorado is now underway. Are there still any lawmakers out there who are willing to open their mouths (or type on their keyboards) to say ill-informed - possibly obnoxious - things about charters? Are there any willing to plot an attack to weaken our state’s successful charter school experiment?
If so, studies like this new one from Boston and others should be handed back to them as a homework assignment. At the local level, the study should be required reading for leaders of the Aurora school system. Following the Boston example, they have staked a lot on the success of pilot schools while giving the cold shoulder to local charters.
Let the debate flourish.
Havala on 10 Jan 2009 at 9:40 am #
I am a teacher at a large urban district. I have worked for private schools, public schools, and charter schools.
Some ideas to consider:
1. Charter schools are often MUCH smaller than public schools. Staff have much more opportunity to collaborate to improve lessons and work together on the curriculum. The principal also has more time to observe lessons and conference with teachers to set goals. Smaller schools mean larger opportunity for parent involvement. It’s easier to get a hold of 50 parents as opposed to 1500. And, the bottom line, of course, is that a MUCH better class is going to occur in a room that has 20 students versus a room that has 40 students, no matter how good the teacher is.
2. Although unions have limited the power of administration in terms of firing poor-performing employers, they have also protected the 40 hour work week. Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of the Washington, D.C. schools, is fervently anti-union and would also like the school day to run from 7AM to 7PM, six days a week, all year round. It would be difficult to raise a child under those circumstances (especially since every class is two hours of prep for us teachers, daily). It would be almost impossible to even own a dog or go to a doctor’s appointment. Although work is very important to all of us, having a life is necessary for our sanity. What do you think - as a student - of a 72 hour school week?
3. The city where I work was the first in the nation to open charter schools. They were approved in 1989. Research has been prohibited on them since 1995. In that time, I have seen some good charter schools, several mediocre charter schools (with good intentions), and some very poor charter schools that close almost as soon as they open. In fact, charter schools have struggled to find funding from the beginning; their salaries and benefits cannot compete with public schools. Now, in times of economic recession, more charter schools than ever are closing in this city, interrupting the education of their children and pushing them back to the public schools.
4. What is the solution? Take a look at funding first. How can charter schools afford class sizes of 20 when public schools can barely afford to lower class sizes to 40? Why should good charter schools be forced to close? And, before this nation sees an end to all unions, blaming them for economic crisis: what benefit do unions serve, not just to their members, but to all of society?
Ed is Watching » The Case Against Cutting Facilities Funds for Colorado Charter Schools on 23 Jan 2009 at 1:22 pm #
[...] here in Colorado, I know that charter school leaders see the situation as a challenge. Economic slowdown has cut state revenues, and lawmakers [...]