The reverberations of Stanford University Professor Caroline Hoxby’s study on NYC charter schools have continued over the past month since its release.
This study, along with President Obama’s incredibly strong support of charter schools, has seemed to be almost the proverbial straws to convince what has been an uncommitted and watchful national media that the charter model can be the vehicle to close the achievement gap — if done with focus, leadership and a commitment to achievement.
This New York Daily News editorial captures the sentiment of dozens of articles and editorials regarding the NYC charter experience. This past week numerous editorials from prominent liberal commentators about how the teachers unions are reassessing their opposition to charter schools has been nothing short of remarkable. A sea change really. (NOTE: Charter School Partners is not in the business of trashing teachers unions. Our focus is on finding real solutions that will close the achievement gap in Minnesota — where ever those solutions can be found. We simply believe charter schools is presently THE BEST vehicle for realizing academic achievement in urban schools).
Harlem Children's Zone's Promise Academy has been a key player in NYC's successful charter school results
For Minnesota, this message and focus is important. As we have stated, charter schools in Minnesota can no longer simply be about ‘choice and innovation’. While choice and innovation continue to be important, the charter movement must now be about replicating successful charter schools. Charter schools can be the vehicle to close the achievement gap, but simply having charter schools does not guaranty this effect or impact.
Minnesota Still Has One of the Nation’s Largest Achievement Gaps
The following will be difficult for Minnesota’s charter advocates (and we are the most passionate of charter advocates!) to hear. But data is data.
Minneapolis has 46 charter schools, with 9,441 students or 21.8% of public school students. Yet proficiency scores for Minneapolis charter schools are even below the underperforming district schools.
Minneapolis Charters Math/Reading Scores: 30.72/41.65
Minneapolis District Math/Reading Scores: 47.88/50.76.
St. Paul’s charter schools have 6,689 charter students and make up 15% of the District’s public schools. St. Paul’s charter and district scores are actually pretty comparable:
St. Paul Charters Math/Reading Scores: 43.30/51.17
St. Paul District Math/Reading Scores: 46.41/51.95.
Close Down Low Performing Schools?
Ok, Minnesota. How are we doing with that headline? “Close Down Low Performing Schools”.
Closing down low performing schools is one of the lessons of the success of NYC charter schools. Mayor Bloomberg and NYC Superintendent Joel Kline have not been very Minnesota Nice in their focus on closing down low performing schools. But school districts and cities around the country are taking this lesson to heart. Denver Public Schools (DPS), for instance, has actually created criteria as to when and how a public school should be closed down. To DPS’ credit, they do not differentiate between charter and district.
Ok, we’ve opened up an important discussion here. Stay tuned.
