Since CSP’s founding last May, we have stressed that one of the key ingredients in creating a high-quality public school movement in Minnesota is to close down chronically underperforming public schools — charter and district. We have even taken heat for this from some of our charter friends.
President Obama came out with some tough love approaches this week to target the nation’s and Minnesota’s lowest performing public schools. (A Washington Post article here). His directive, tied to a new source of federal monies, seeks to close down or restructure these failing schools. Specifically, he identifies four potential tracts for failing schools:
Turnaround: The district must replace the principal, retain no more than half the teachers, increase time with students, improve teacher training and take a comprehensive new approach to teaching.
Restart: The failing school is converted to a charter school, which would be required to enroll its former students.
School closure: The school is closed and the students enrolled in better schools in the district.
Transformation: The district makes sweeping changes at the school, including replacing the principal, rewarding successful teachers while removing weaker ones, changing the staff evaluation process and extending the school day.
34 Schools Identified in Minnesota
34 Minnesota schools, including 12 charter schools (in bold below) were identified as needing to restructure or close down. See Star Trib article here. The schools include:
1. Bethune Elementary, Minneapolis Public School District
2. Cityview PAM Magnet, Minneapolis Public School District
3. Hmong International Academy, Minneapolis Public School District
4. Lucy Laney at Cleveland Park Elementary, Minneapolis Public School District
5. Maxfield Magnet Elementary, St. Paul Public School District
6. New Spirit Primary School, New Spirit School
7. New Visions Charter School
8. Ponemah Elementary, Red Lake Public School District
9. Urban Academy Charter School
10.Worthington Area Language Academy
11. Broadway Arts & Technology, Minneapolis Public School District
12. Four Directions Charter School
13. Transitions Senior High, Minnesota Transitions Charter School
14. Edison Senior High, Minneapolis Public School District
15. English Academy Campus, Minnesota Internship Center
16. High School for Recording Arts
17. Humboldt Senior High, St. Paul Public School District
18. Red Lake Senior High, Red Lake Public School District
19. Rochester Off-campus Charter High
20. Unity Campus, Minnesota Internship Center
21. Wellstone International High, Minneapolis Public School District
22. Braham Area Secondary, Braham Public School District
23 Brooklyn Center Secondary, Brooklyn Center School District
24. Butterfield Secondary, Butterfield Public School District
25 Cass Lake-Bena Secondary, Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools
26. East Central Senior Secondary, East Central School District
27. Greenbush-Middle River Senior High, Greenbush-Middle River School District
28. Hmong College Prep Academy High School, Hmong College Prep Academy
29. Isle Secondary, Isle Public School District
30. Northview IB World School, Osseo Public School District
31. Ogilvie Secondary, Ogilvie Public School District
32. Orr Secondary, St. Louis County School District
33. Riverview Secondary, Riverway Learning Community Charter
34. Waubun Secondary, Waubun Public School District