The Chicago Public Schools’ policy of closing public schools and opening charter schools will obviously promote privatization. What it will also promote is inequality and lack of transparency.
This is the contention of a panel that recently met to discuss the closure of some 50 public schools.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Since the reformers are so driven by being data driven, perhaps they should read a report about NYC charters with references to “district” schools. A lot of, “if” – “but” – “when” – “not yet” – “however” and excuses.
Chicago reformers might take note that they’ll be leaving kids with disabilities, ELLs, and other kids behind; have a significant teacher and principal turnover in the charters; and still barely any change in achievement. But, gee, I bet discipline, attendance, and flash cards are top notch.
The following excerpts are from the Executive Summary of “THE STATE OF THE NYC CHARTER SCHOOL SECTOR 2012” report released by the New York City Charter School Center
Click to access state-of-the-sector-exec-summary.pdf
Excerpts from the Executive Summary
“At present, the charter sector serves a smaller percentage of students in special education than the citywide average,although this difference may partly stem from students being over-identified in district schools. Charter school students in special education are more likely to move toward less restrictive settings.”
“The charter sector also serves a smaller proportion of English Language Learners (ELLs), but ELLs in charter schools are more likely to pass the English proficiency tests required to leave that category.”
.
“For instance, charter schools are now required to enroll and retain certain groups of at-risk students at rates comparable to the local district schools, or risk closure, a shift that is likely to narrow differences in charter and district school demographics.”
“While the overall results are strong, charter school students’performance in Math is stronger than in ELA (which is also true for district students). At the few charter high schools that have existed long enough to graduate students, rates of college readiness and college enrollment lag those of district high schools. However, trends in Regents completion suggest that high school outcomes will improve as a larger and more representative number of these schools start to graduate students.”
“The report finds that charter schools, on average, have higher rates of teacher and principal turnover compared to NYC district schools. Such rates of turnover are, in part, consistent with a dynamic, growing and still quite new sector, and one which operates with different background labor rules and more varied compensation structures. And while low rates of attrition are not an outcome valuable for its own sake, lower staff attrition could help charter schools sustain or expand their positive influence on academic achievement, while continuing to grow. Charter school leaders are paying close attention to this issue, and seeking ways to improve educator pipelines and keep effective educators on the job longer.”
LikeLike
This is a really frightening concept. It is reminiscent of the Nazi behaviors to form a super race. In perpetuity, we will have a group of people who will be considered a sub-class, who will not be able to function to help themselves. We have fought this battle for incorporating all students under one public umbrella even before Brown v. Bd. of Ed. in 1954. The unfairness of the Charter choices should certainly be a topic of concern for us all, particularly those who beat their breasts regarding religious edicts.
LikeLike
Hey Diane Ravitch. More Chicago reform news? Chicago style?
“Back in February, when federal charges were filed against former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL), we wondered about the identity of “Person F,” a person who, according to court documents, wrote a check for $25,000 in April 2011 to pay down the balance on a credit card belonging to Jackson and his wife, former Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson.”
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/06/source_of_mystery_25000_to_jesse_jackson_identifie.php?ref=fpb
“The mystery has been solved. Greg Calhoun, an Alabama businessman and longtime friend of the Jackson family, was identified as Person F by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
According to the Journal, before leaving Congress, Jackson had been working “on several fronts” to help Calhoun work out several lucrative business deals with for-profit education companies. In fact, just weeks before receiving the $25,000 check, Jackson and his office had helped set up a meeting involving Calhoun, executives of the for-profit Education Corporation of America, and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. At the time, Duncan was considering new regulations of the industry.”
Thought you might be interested to know this report was out there.
LikeLike
Instead of a super race it will be a privileged class and an underclass. It will result in a lot of racial segregation, but it will harm the poor of whatever race.
It has been shown that if a charter or private school does well, the common factor seems to be that the schools have a smaller pupil/teacher ratio, say 15:1 or less. Until we are willing to expend the money to make sure that these struggling children have smaller class sizes, there won’t be a lot of improvement in these underfunded, overcrowded schools.
Teach them in their own communities. Give them the same opportunities as suburban communities. You will see change. All the tests in the world will not change a thing. It doesn’t matter if the Common Core or some other set of standards is used. If class size isn’t appropriate to student needs, nothing will improve.
Meanwhile, people will continue to complain about test, taxes and teachers. They will want more for less. They want it all for their own kids and to dare the government to redistribute “their” money so that ALL can learn. Yet, they will complain and complain and complain. As I posted another day, read the child’s book “Henry’s Awful Mistake” … it is just like what is happening to education … making a mountain out of a mole hill. He tears down his house by chasing an ant. He creates a leak in the water pipe and demolishes his home, his dinner, etc. All this was done to impress his dinner guest.
Aren’t these testing maniacs doing the same thing? They are chasing a false interpretation of what is “wrong” and tearing down the walls and flooding out the past, for what? They will ultimately impress no one.
A few can pat themselves on the back, being proud of the ones who DO achieve in the tax paid private schools and sit back and shake their heads at the “failures” in the public schools. Even if they realize what they have done, they will continue to praise themselves, keep their money to themselves, and look at the “others” with disdain.
There has been enough written about this topic to fill a library shelf in the Smithsonian. But, it is generally just a bunch of pontificating and grandstanding. The real solutions are too simple, but they simply require more money than people are willing to share.
It can be changed, but only if people wake up.
LikeLike
A lack of transparency seems to be the hallmark for the current administration. Very disturbing and should frighten the H out of any person who still believes in this country. Everything that is coming at our citizens today is after the fact. A done deal as it were.
It is so in your face, yet the public has still not opened their eyes or minds to the fact that they are being reshaped into a new America and a new world. For the old, you had the best of us, for the middle-age you are feeling pained, for the young you will never know what Truth and Promise for a life of true freedom of choice was but will never be again.
Is the experiment over, it sure is feeling that way.
LikeLike
Ellen, Debby and Ronee are right on. There is a possibility of turning this on their head though. Recently in L.A. a group CORE-CA works with The Crenshaw Subway Coalition filed a lawsuit in Federal Court on the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) with a part of that lawsuit being the “Environmental Injustice” section which is extensive. Environmental Injustice can be when an agency treats two different communities differently in their decision making concerning all taxpayers money as in our case with the County of Los Angeles bond money just for this purpose. In our case they will spend 7-10 times per passenger for 1/2 the passengers/year on the Subway to the Sea down Wilshire Blvd. as the Crenshaw Corridor. The reason it is called the Corridor is because the Crenshaw Corridor is the only really essential to the transportation system is both Orange and L.A. Counties. This is also the last African-American cultural and business center around and Crenshaw is a nightmare to travel on now.
You must have a fully documented and researched suit. Case law must be complete. I think is is possible in Chicago to do this since we are in Federal not State Court. You will be under the same rules as we are. Please have your attorneys look into this avenue of stopping this destruction.
LikeLike
This will be an epic rip-off. The students will get less than the options they had. Some cronies will get rich.
LikeLike