Policymakers and the media in Tennessee thought that charters would outperform public schools. They would “save minority kids from failing public schools.” Unfortunately, the charter schools are manufacturing “success” by pushing out low-performing children right before testing time.
True believers refuse to accept the plain facts but it is hard to hide the disappearing students.
But the media is catching on.
A reader helpfully forwarded the transcript:
“NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) –
Leaders with Metro Nashville Public Schools have serious concerns about what is happening at some of the city’s most popular charter schools.
Students are leaving in large numbers at a particularly important time of the school year, and the consequences may have an impact on test scores.
Charter schools are literally built on the idea that they will outperform public, zoned schools. They are popular because they promise and deliver results, but some new numbers are raising big questions about charter schools.
One of the first things a visitor sees when stepping into Kipp Academy is a graph that shows how Kipp is outperforming Metro schools in every subject.
However, Kipp Academy is also one of the leaders in another stat that is not something to crow about.
When it comes to the net loss of students this year, charter schools are the top eight losers of students.
In fact, the only schools that have net losses of 10 to 33 percent are charter schools.
“We look at that attrition. We keep an eye on it, and we actually think about how we can bring that back in line with where we’ve been historically,” said Kipp Principal Randy Dowell.
Dowell said Kipp’s 18 percent attrition is unacceptable.
MNPS feels it’s unacceptable as well, because not only are they getting kids from charter schools, but they are also getting troubled kids and then getting them right before testing time.
“That’s also a frustration for the zoned-school principals. They are getting clearly challenging kids back in their schools just prior to accountability testing,” said MNPS Chief Operating Officer Fred Carr.
Nineteen of the last 20 children to leave Kipp Academy had multiple out-of-school suspensions. Eleven of the 19 are classified as special needs, and all of them took their TCAPs at Metro zoned schools, so their scores won’t count against Kipp.
“We won’t know how they perform until we receive results and we see. We would be happy to take their results, frankly. The goal is getting kids ready for college. The goal is not having shiny results for me or for anyone on the team,” Dowell said.
Kipp Academy has started new counseling groups to try to retain children. MNPS said it constantly sees charters being held up as the model, but feels these numbers prove the two different types of schools play by different rules.”
Copyright 2013 WSMV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
“We won’t know how they perform until we receive results and we see. We would be happy to take their results, frankly. The goal is getting kids ready for college. The goal is not having shiny results for me or for anyone on the team,” Dowell said.
It would be great if Mr. Dowell is proactive and requests that his school takes these results. There should be some policy in place concerning where results are placed since these tests are supposedly a measure of the teacher’s/school’s accountability.
Reblogged this on Rise & Shine and commented:
And more on how charter schools will save our education system.
I have seen reports that say KIPP has a 47% attrition rate between the 9th and 12th grade. They claim a 76% college attendance rate. But that is only 76% of 53%. That is a 40% attendance rate. A FAR cry from the 76% they trumpet. Pushing out the challenged students and discipline problems is not an option for Public schools. Nothing like being able to skew the numbers to make yourself look good.
Will thees revelations finally help to quiet the forces who hype charters?
APR
01
2011
KIPP’s Atrocious Attrition
by Gary Rubinstein
April 1, 2011
Waiting For Superman’ was designed to win an Oscar, which it wasn’t even nominated for. It was also supposed to advance the efforts of the charter school movement, as it was funded by some major players like Bill Gates. It also presented Michelle Rhee as a hero, and KIPP as part of the realistic solution to fixing public schools in this country…
Then, today, a study was released that finally examined KIPP in full detail… What the study has revealed was that part of their success comes from them booting out the kids who will bring down their numbers. The report says that 40% of the black male students who enter the school in sixth grade drop out of it before completing eighth grade there.
http://garyrubinstein.teachforus.org/2011/04/01/kipps-atrocious-attrition/
Very simple game, get rid of the low performers, only keep the high performers and low trouble children and then you can be a part of the 17% that does marginally better only they forgot the “Correction Factor.” When you compare two different systems you have to have a “Correction Factor.” After all charter schools do not follow most state ed code, local regulations, cherry pick parents and students, do not deal with behavioral problems, ESL and special ed. I think that a real statistical analysis of this would be fun. I think charter schools are really worse than the Stanford Credo Study shows as they do not use a “Correction Factor” and that is absolutely necessary to directly compare. Their timing is also suspect as it is just before testing time as that swings the comparison in this situation even more as the public school is now at another direct disadvantage as public schools must take all and cannot pick and choose as it should be in a “Real Public School” operating on public not private funds.
The article should have read: “They are popular because they promise TO BUT DON”T deliver results. . . ,” instead of: “They are popular because they promise and deliver results. . . ,’
This strategy makes sense from a BUSINESS perspective. In business school, students learn to understand the difference between good customers and bad customers. Good businesses do not waste “assets” on bad customers! Data driven decision making!
Is Arne surprised? Is Eli impressed? Can Gates follow?
How long is the mainstream media going to keep accepting at face value KIPP’s disingenuous, “Gee, this attrition issue is really something we need to take a look at,” when their entire myth rests on the lie that they educate the same kids as the public schools?
Everything the privatizers and so-called reformers say is a lie, including the words “and” & “the.”
The RSD in New Orleans is comprised of 83% charters (58 schools out of 70). Thus, the charters are running out of options for shuttling unwanted children back to community schools. And RSD is a collasal failure by the reformers’ own standards. But the reform set still tries to lie about RSD “success.” They play with the numbers, combining numbers, concealing numbers, and outright lying aboutthe numbers:
The reason parents like charters is precisely that the charters have fewer students with disabilities, fewer ELL students, fewer students with behavioral issues, and more students with motivated and involved parents. But what may seem good for some parents is bad for our public education system.
The charters are defacto private schools that use public money.
What’s the difference between this system and a voucher system—where public money goes into pre-existing and actual private schools?
Not much.
And the beat goes on