This article in the Buffalo News by two distinguished scholars analyzes recent charter studies and concludes that charter are unlikely to close achievement gaps.
Adeline Levine and Murray Levine review the studies and conclude:
“Charter schools are protected by powerful, wealthy individuals and foundations that profess free-market choice and hold anti-union sentiments and pro-privatization beliefs; some advocates are pursuing profit motives. The advocates seem not to be influenced by data despite their insistence they are data-driven.
“The reality is that problems associated with a history of discrimination and the complex negative effects of poverty are not easily solved. The solutions require an enormous, long-term societal commitment. The current reforms, however, threaten the very existence of our public schools, which have long been the envy of the entire world.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
http://www.npr.org/2013/10/19/237001302/how-do-you-flavor-a-vodka-called-chicago
excerpt:
This week Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois suspended all payments to UNO. Not the Chicago-style pizza chain, but the United Neighborhood Organization, which runs 16 charter schools.
The state has given UNO $83 million; the city has given UNO tens of millions more. One of its top executives, Miguel d’ Escoto, resigned this year after the Chicago Sun-Times reported that UNO dispersed more than $8 million in contracts to construction firms owned by two of Mr. d’Escoto’s brothers.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has opened a federal investigation.
Juan Rangel, UNO’s CEO, was co-chairman of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s campaign, and reportedly has close ties to Michael Madigan, the Illinois House speaker.
Everything might be totally kosher, if you please. But the closeness between public officials, construction companies and contracts might suggest another way to flavor Absolut Chicago: crumpled up dollar bills.
Even NPR gets it (occasionally).
The link seems to be broken.
Whoops. It said the link has expired or was incorrect. Diane, could you possibly put up the link again when you get a chance. It sounds like a “must read” piece. Thanks!
I think this link might help.
http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/charter-schools-have-limited-ability-to-close-student-achievement-gap-20131013
Many of the charter schools in Buffalo are a throw back to segregation. These all black schools are actually favored by the parents, but they aren’t getting different results.
Anyone can start a charter school, you don’t need to be an educator (and it shows). Some of the charter schools are run by for profit corporations funded by public money.
Besides being a way to weaken the unions, charter schools are funded on the back of public education.
I am not against the idea of charter schools, I am against the reality. Charter schools could provide unique services, such as schools specializing in autism or all male schools for wayward boys. How about a charter school for pregnant teens or teen mothers? Maybe a hands on school for the child that learns by doing instead of seeing and listening. However, these schools should not take away funds from the public schools, they need their own funding line. The teachers should be given some rights and guarantees, even if not unionized – i.e. They are not slave labor to be made to teach almost year round, Monday to Saturday, 9:00 to 5:00 or later, then cast aside when rightfully complaining or when due for a salary raise.
Buffalo has lots of problems, charter schools should not be one of them.
I hyperbolize here, Ellen T. Klock, that we are ALL slaves in the view of the current federal administration. Why should it exempt teachers? They bought him, now he’s breaking them. The reformers are, of course, destructive, but Diane believes it is purposeful. The only positive thing that can be said about them is that at least they embrace market capitalism as a premise unlike the national socialism which is a pervasive utopian belief in “progressive” educational circles. So few anticipated that “progressive” thinking would lead to the tyranny it has. Ayn Rand was right.
Good thing I was on the river this past weekend, eh HU!!
This sounds familiar:
“The reality is that problems associated with a history of discrimination and the complex negative effects of poverty are not easily solved. The solutions require an enormous, long-term societal commitment. The current reforms, however, threaten the very existence of our public schools, which have long been the envy of the entire world.”
I’m trying to remember where I’ve heard something like this . . .
I walked for my school board candidates this afternoon – BTW, my choices are NOT receiving out of state monies – they are local parents who wish to support neighborhood schools
I had a great chat with a young postman who moved here after Hurricane Katrina. He asked me if I was passing out the same fliers that he was. No, he was passing out the literature from the candidates with out of state backing – the can afford to use USPS. He listened tome and agreed with my views. He already knew about the proliferation of charters in New Orleans.
Making progress- rebuilding democracy – one person at a time!
“The current reforms, however, threaten the very existence of our public schools, ”
At this point I’m grateful to see public schools mentioned at all.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/nyregion/the-charter-school-fight.html?hp&_r=0
The NYTimes article above is an example of what I’m talking about. The entire focus of the piece is charter schools.
But they’re talking about co-location, which of course affects TWO groups of children, the children in the public school and the children in the charter school.
Reform is constantly framed around the needs and desires of charter schools. That’s just wrongheaded. If there’s to be a co-location debate in NYC, there are two groups of children to be considered, not one.
Just once I would like to see a reformer ask “what are these reforms doing to existing public schools?” I really don’t think that’s a lot to ask, particularly from local and state leaders.
Excellent article, but nothing I didn’t already know and/or believe. My friend sent her son to a well renowned local Private High School. He was an A student, but his math teacher was lacking in skills, so when her son took the Regents he failed (even though the teacher gave him As). Private isn’t necessarily better and at the upper levels of instruction, such as Trig or Physics, it can be worse.
Locally, Business First analyzed all the elementary schools in Erie County, NY and allowed for various issues such as poverty. It was a Buffalo school that won out over the top suburban districts. This same school has usually rated near the top (school 64) ever since. The top rated high school, not just in Buffalo, but across the country, is City Honors. Both of these schools enroll the brightest and the best in Buffalo (although 64 also includes neighborhood students). What does this say about our education system? Motivated parents, motivated and capable students, motivated teachers = an excellent education. (Nothing to do with the CC).
I don’t know if you all have seen this, but it’s fascinating. It’s a study comparing private schools and public schools. I don’t know enough to determine if it’s valid, but I would think the conclusion will ruffle a lot of feathers 🙂
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/are-private-schools-worth-it/280693/?utm_content=buffer2cf74&utm_source=buffer
I also agree with this:
“This is also happening in a context where there is this constant chorus of public schools are failing. Parents are told this by the media and by a lot of reform organizations and so I think that message gets internalized. People just assume that private is better. It appears that might not be true, but nonetheless that’s the assumption that people advance with.”
The book:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Public-School-Advantage-Outperform/dp/022608891X/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2A92CSBECFCCJ&coliid=I36HAI74Y70MHB
Chiara: I was intrigued by this question to one of the authors in The Atlantic piece you link to—
“You suggest that public schools are open to reform and new educational theories in a way that private schools are not. Why do you think that is?”
The answer is enlightening.
I hope those more knowledgeable will review the book. It at least seems to be asking the right questions.
Thank you for providing this info.
🙂
I lost interest in the study when I read that the vast majority of their private school sample are religious schools.
“our public schools, which have long been the envy of the entire world.”
Get real! even 3rd world countries manage to teach math better than the current system in USA does.
Statistics please.
Propaganda. We have many students excelling in math. My own daughter got a Math degree in SUNY at Buffalo, then she went back to school to get a degree which could get her a job (now a Nutritionist at Roswell – a cancer research Center and Hospital in Buffalo)
I think the concern is that we also have many students who are not excelling in math as well.
Are you trashing Early Childhood Education, just your colleagues who teach Math in the higher grades or both?
The Achievement Gap reflects significant differences in average cognitive levels of different population groups. Differences in level of academic achievement by racial/ethnic group are virtually the same all over the world and have changed little over time. East Asians do very well academically in South Korea, Jamaica, Brazil or wherever they are found. Populations of sub-Saharan descent do poorly all over the world.
“The Achievement Gap” is primarily a political term, intended to restrict discussion and debate so that issues of poverty, equity and racism are restricted and kept within controllable bounds that serve the master narrative of poverty being a matter of individual character and choice.
It’s no accident that TFA and similar groups dishonestly mimic progressive rhetoric, while simultaneously doing everything they can to bury discussion of the structural causes of poverty. It’s why so many of its alumni work or found “No Excuses” charter schools, which partially exist to further institutionalize that fallacy.