I read a story about a charter school in Germantown, Pennsylvania. It is called Imhotep Charter School. It has a new $10 million facility. I can’t figure out who is in charge and where the money goes. Isn’t there an auditor? Stories like this are happening with increasing frequency as charters multiply and accountability shrinks.
There seems to be a tug of war between the school and the nonprofit to which it is connected about who owns the building. Meanwhile the founder of the school has been fired by a board, whose chairperson is the founder’s daughter.
I bring this to your attention because I can’t understand what is happening. I know that this school is publicly-funded but it seems to be in more than the usual turmoil, not what you are likely to find in your neighborhood public school.
“Sankofa Network Inc., a related nonprofit that owns Imhotep’s campus, filed a Common Pleas Court lawsuit last week alleging the charter owes $1.2 million in rent, interest, and fees.
The court action comes after the school, which opened in 1998, was rocked by months of turmoil, including the ouster in late June of M. Christine Wiggins, Imhotep’s founding chief executive.
The Imhotep board voted not to renew Wiggins’ contract after the School District’s charter office said in April that it would recommend not renewing the school’s charter on several grounds, including poor academic performance.
The lawyer for the school said the lawsuit was frivolous and that all bills were paid.
However,
Sharon Wilson, a lawyer who represents Sankofa Network, said the nonprofit acted after it was told by the bank that as of Oct. 1 it was delinquent nearly $900,000 in repaying a construction loan and a line of credit.
In addition to uncertainty about the financial stability of the school, charter authorizers worried about its academic performance:
Concerns about academic performance at Imhotep prompted the district’s charter office to express reservations about renewing the school’s charter.
Although Imhotep, which has 525 students in grades nine through 12, has been praised for sending a high percentage of its graduates to college, the school’s records show that in 2013, only 9 percent of Imhotep students scored proficient on the state’s Keystone exams in Algebra 1 and 5 percent in Biology 1. In literature, 37 percent were proficient.
When I see billionaires throwing huge sums into local and state elections with the hope of opening more charters, I wonder if they believe their claims that charters will improve American education. Do they know that none of the world’s high-performing nations have charters or vouchers?
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20141105_Imhotep_Charter_sued_by_related_nonprofit.html#JH5qSVv1MbVO1cd7.99
Diane Ravitch's blog 
In Rhode Island, it doesn’t seem like a charter school literally gets a charter. As in, a literal document assigned to a specific entity. I tried to get an explanation from RIDE about this at one point and didn’t get a clear answer. Anyhow, yes, expect disputes about who is actually in charge of specific charters to be an increasing issue.
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Imhotep! Imhotep! Imhotep!
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I don’t think the billionaires pouring money into charters care one lick about test scores going up or down or staying the same. The Common Core landed in their laps as the perfect front. What try are really trying to do is just dismantle the profession–no career teachers, no salaries beyond what a teacher makes in her first few years,unimaginable benefits, and of course no pension… A high quality public education system is expensive, and a group of billionaire boys have decided it’s got to go!
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Oops autocorrect– minimal benefits 🙂
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“I don’t think the billionaires pouring money into charters care one lick about test scores going up or down or staying the same.”
I’m glad they don’t. I don’t either as those tests scores are COMPLETELY INVALID to begin with as proven by Noel Wilson in his never refuted nor rebutted 1997 dissertation “Educational Standards and the Problem of Error” found at: http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/577/700
Brief outline of Wilson’s “Educational Standards and the Problem of Error” and some comments of mine. (updated 6/24/13 per Wilson email)
1. A description of a quality can only be partially quantified. Quantity is almost always a very small aspect of quality. It is illogical to judge/assess a whole category only by a part of the whole. The assessment is, by definition, lacking in the sense that “assessments are always of multidimensional qualities. To quantify them as unidimensional quantities (numbers or grades) is to perpetuate a fundamental logical error” (per Wilson). The teaching and learning process falls in the logical realm of aesthetics/qualities of human interactions. In attempting to quantify educational standards and standardized testing the descriptive information about said interactions is inadequate, insufficient and inferior to the point of invalidity and unacceptability.
2. A major epistemological mistake is that we attach, with great importance, the “score” of the student, not only onto the student but also, by extension, the teacher, school and district. Any description of a testing event is only a description of an interaction, that of the student and the testing device at a given time and place. The only correct logical thing that we can attempt to do is to describe that interaction (how accurately or not is a whole other story). That description cannot, by logical thought, be “assigned/attached” to the student as it cannot be a description of the student but the interaction. And this error is probably one of the most egregious “errors” that occur with standardized testing (and even the “grading” of students by a teacher).
3. Wilson identifies four “frames of reference” each with distinct assumptions (epistemological basis) about the assessment process from which the “assessor” views the interactions of the teaching and learning process: the Judge (think college professor who “knows” the students capabilities and grades them accordingly), the General Frame-think standardized testing that claims to have a “scientific” basis, the Specific Frame-think of learning by objective like computer based learning, getting a correct answer before moving on to the next screen, and the Responsive Frame-think of an apprenticeship in a trade or a medical residency program where the learner interacts with the “teacher” with constant feedback. Each category has its own sources of error and more error in the process is caused when the assessor confuses and conflates the categories.
4. Wilson elucidates the notion of “error”: “Error is predicated on a notion of perfection; to allocate error is to imply what is without error; to know error it is necessary to determine what is true. And what is true is determined by what we define as true, theoretically by the assumptions of our epistemology, practically by the events and non-events, the discourses and silences, the world of surfaces and their interactions and interpretations; in short, the practices that permeate the field. . . Error is the uncertainty dimension of the statement; error is the band within which chaos reigns, in which anything can happen. Error comprises all of those eventful circumstances which make the assessment statement less than perfectly precise, the measure less than perfectly accurate, the rank order less than perfectly stable, the standard and its measurement less than absolute, and the communication of its truth less than impeccable.”
In other word all the logical errors involved in the process render any conclusions invalid.
5. The test makers/psychometricians, through all sorts of mathematical machinations attempt to “prove” that these tests (based on standards) are valid-errorless or supposedly at least with minimal error [they aren’t]. Wilson turns the concept of validity on its head and focuses on just how invalid the machinations and the test and results are. He is an advocate for the test taker not the test maker. In doing so he identifies thirteen sources of “error”, any one of which renders the test making/giving/disseminating of results invalid. And a basic logical premise is that once something is shown to be invalid it is just that, invalid, and no amount of “fudging” by the psychometricians/test makers can alleviate that invalidity.
6. Having shown the invalidity, and therefore the unreliability, of the whole process Wilson concludes, rightly so, that any result/information gleaned from the process is “vain and illusory”. In other words start with an invalidity, end with an invalidity (except by sheer chance every once in a while, like a blind and anosmic squirrel who finds the occasional acorn, a result may be “true”) or to put in more mundane terms crap in-crap out.
7. And so what does this all mean? I’ll let Wilson have the second to last word: “So what does a test measure in our world? It measures what the person with the power to pay for the test says it measures. And the person who sets the test will name the test what the person who pays for the test wants the test to be named.”
In other words it attempts to measure “’something’ and we can specify some of the ‘errors’ in that ‘something’ but still don’t know [precisely] what the ‘something’ is.” The whole process harms many students as the social rewards for some are not available to others who “don’t make the grade (sic)” Should American public education have the function of sorting and separating students so that some may receive greater benefits than others, especially considering that the sorting and separating devices, educational standards and standardized testing, are so flawed not only in concept but in execution?
My answer is NO!!!!!
One final note with Wilson channeling Foucault and his concept of subjectivization:
“So the mark [grade/test score] becomes part of the story about yourself and with sufficient repetitions becomes true: true because those who know, those in authority, say it is true; true because the society in which you live legitimates this authority; true because your cultural habitus makes it difficult for you to perceive, conceive and integrate those aspects of your experience that contradict the story; true because in acting out your story, which now includes the mark and its meaning, the social truth that created it is confirmed; true because if your mark is high you are consistently rewarded, so that your voice becomes a voice of authority in the power-knowledge discourses that reproduce the structure that helped to produce you; true because if your mark is low your voice becomes muted and confirms your lower position in the social hierarchy; true finally because that success or failure confirms that mark that implicitly predicted the now self evident consequences. And so the circle is complete.”
In other words students “internalize” what those “marks” (grades/test scores) mean, and since the vast majority of the students have not developed the mental skills to counteract what the “authorities” say, they accept as “natural and normal” that “story/description” of them. Although paradoxical in a sense, the “I’m an “A” student” is almost as harmful as “I’m an ‘F’ student” in hindering students becoming independent, critical and free thinkers. And having independent, critical and free thinkers is a threat to the current socio-economic structure of society.
By Duane E. Swacker
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“…though the crowd clapped furiously they could not see the joke”
Procol Harum
The “skill set” as defined by the “cultural habitus” within the “circle”
continues to claim “authority” as though test scores “suddenly”
became INVALID.
“never refuted nor rebutted” True, but used to stop/slow the rise
of yet another “concocted” authority, by the present concocted
authority, established by another concocted authority.
The “net” gain of all this concocted authority is FAR removed
from the “equilibrium position” professed in the doctrines centered
around democracy, rule of law, equality, pick your favorite “spin”…
Who doesn’t know that money is power? Guess what, WE have
money power, if we choose to use it. The old “put your money
where your mouth is” comes to mind. Fight fire with fire.
Can’t understand an increase in globalism requires a DECREASE
in nationalism? Put your money where your mouth is.
I might have missed this “blog” calling for a BOYCOTT of the products
supplied by money interests against the people.
Why not fight fire with fire?
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“If music be the food of love
then laughter is its queen
and likewise if behind is in front
then dirt in truth is clean”
Also Procul Harum
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It has dawned on me that the problem with the reform movement and the charter movement is the refusal to see that working in a public situation requires a skill set different from that of a private situation. It requires a mindset. When you look at Cami Anderson’s disaster, you realize she simply had no clue about things public—-what to consider, what perspectives would be involved, unexpected factors, etc. While public entities may lack some of the shine and polish of private ones, they have other qualities that cannot be diminished. The problem is that Rhee and others HAVE diminished or even ignored those factors, and have been terribly presumptuous in assuming they can take them over and do it better.
Working with the public and in a public situation—-negotiating on behalf of the public, engineering systems for the public, etc. all require a mindset that is unique. It has value. It has VALUE!!! That is the value that people who work with the public have—they get it.
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Please! No excuses for Cami Anderson Joanna!
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I don’t think that Joanna meant that as an excuse but rather to use Anderson as an exemplar of the complete cluelessness those folks have in those things public.
I believe she was saying that one so steeped in the I, me, mine meme simple cannot understand the public, the for the good of all, common good, the protecting that common good for future generations type of thinking.
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Private v. Public. Private is a top-down, follow the leader mindset resembling North Korea complete with nepotism, absolute rule, and fire-at-will when those pesky workers speak. Hence, we have things like financial meltdowns and air bags that release shrapnel. Public is a democratic, messy, and more aligned to the Founders vision of America. Public has been demonized and is losing.
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Joanna, you seem to be assuming that these people ever had any intention of acting in good faith and acting as stewards for the institutions they were entrusted with, rather than stripping them and turning the assets over to cronies.
There’s not a dram of honesty, good faith or even basic competence in any of them.
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The reformers are doing exactly what they want to, any way they can, and really don’t care about results and truths. If they cared, they would stop this nonsense.
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The Sankofa board members have ties to “Mama Chris”. They aren’t pleased about her removal hence the lawsuit.
As for auditors, there are 86 charter schools in Philadelphia and until this year there were TWO people at the district responsible for overseeing them. There have been multiple convictions and confessions in federal court by Philadelphia charter employees and board members in recent years. Exactly ZERO of the criminal investigations were the result of oversight by the district. There is one additional federal trial under way and a couple of additional schools are being investigated by the FBI. As someone well-versed in Philly politics, I’m shocked, shocked, I tell you that there is rampant criminal activity in charters. Who could possibly have predicted that in a city with a deeply entrenched culture of public corruption that making it easier for the crooks to get their hands directly on a larger pool of money would lead widespread fraud?
Quite a few of the charter thieves are former district employees whose ability to steal was more circumscribed when working for the district which has certainly had its share of nepotism and corruption over the years. However, their good political buddies at the state and local level have given them the hookup to drink deeply at the public well through intentionally lax charter oversight. Of course some of them aren’t bright enough to avoid getting caught and find themselves standing before a federal judge. Also, not to be outdone, local elected officials have had non-profit organizations tied to them open charter schools and have even named their schools after themselves or family members. In fact one of the first charter schools in PA was opened the CDC controlled by the Philly legislator who drafted the law authorizing the establishment of charters.
I’m curious to see if anything is actually done to Imhotep regarding the cheating allegations which are very likely to be true. The school is not known for being concerned about following rules in other areas so why would tests be any different. The school was a widespread and well-known reputation for ignoring PIAA rules, especially the ones regarding recruiting athletes.
Lastly a nitpick regarding the school’s incorrectly identified location in the Philly.com article. The school is actually located in a neighborhood known as Ogontz. Philly reporters who aren’t city natives constantly misidentify neighborhoods in their stories.
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With the lack of oversight, the charter business is like the “wild west.” There are no rules so people are free to write their own. As a result the industry is rife with abuse, particularly when large sums of money are placed in the hands of unknown applicants. What is worse the government fails to monitor and hold these groups accountable.
The system is corrupt. By allowing charters and vouchers, the government is responsible for making a mess while claiming they are “innovating.” and providing “choice.” There is nothing inspiring about sending young people out to “teach” with five hours of training. The states require teachers to meet certification requirements; yet the states are allowing these hybrid entities to circumvent the standards of practice that the state itself has created. It is outrageous! The article asks this question, “Do they know that none of the world’s high-performing nations have charters or vouchers?” In other words, no other country is as greedy and profit driven as America, and has a populace and blind and short sighted that they would vote for those that seek to make a profit from America’s children.
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I wonder why Poe’s, “The Fall of the House of Usher” came to mind as I read Diane’s account of this latest (among many) charter “school” fiascos! Common Core wants to increase the amount of non-fiction that students read as this somehow is linked in with “college and career ready”… well perhaps high school students should read all about charter schools (wink, wink). They could apply math skills as they read the grim statistical charts that reveal “just how well” charters are doing despite their selective populations (wink, wink). They could certainly link it with social studies raising the question of “why” behind this whole movement (another giant wink)! Science? Sure… they could examine what “research-based” really means and see if this has been followed in rolling out the common core (wink, wink, wink). They would certainly be improving their critical thinking skills as they navigate the “ed reform” terminology aka “ed reform speak” and delve into the difference between the spoken and printed word vs. REALITY (wink, wink, wink). Best of all, perhaps there would be a movement for social justice resulting!!! Let the supposed “wonders” of common core work against them in one giant twist of irony!!!!
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Charter Schools in the cash strapped district of Philadelphia costs about 750 million dollars annually. That’s about 1/3 of the total school budget. Meanwhile the public schools are desperately underfunded and under resourced.
Generally one quarter to one third of the students who attend this district’s public schools are not adequately supported at home, or in school, to address their social, emotional and academic growth. Their needs go way beyond what teachers are ostensibly tasked with, that being teaching, and what schools were originally designed for. I’m sure this is the case in most low income urban and rural settings. The sheer volume of social and emotional disfunction, that makes up a large portion of the 86-99% of out of school factors impacting a students learning (that the American Statistical Association quotes in their VAM critique), overwhelms a school’s capacity to address student’s needs. Nothing that I have experienced in school reform has addressed this condition, which I regard as central to the achievement gap.
Instead we channel a kings ransom in public money to create a new quasi-public school system shaped, chiefly, by the vision of passing common core aligned state tests, with the added benefit of thinning the ranks of the AFT/PFT. With the rise of charters in Philadelphia the number of teachers in the PFT has dropped from 16,000 to some where around 12,000. I assume this is similar wherever charters grow.
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