Jersey Jazzman, also known as teacher Mark Weber, is completing his doctoral dissertation and has become a master at analyzing scjpp; data. He also incorporates multi-color graphics into his posts, using official state data to support his statements.
He recently completed a four-part series on Hoboken, New Jersey. Rather than post them one at a time, I am posting them all in the same day so you can wrap your head around the developments in Hoboken. The story is instructive about what is happening in urban districts, large and small, across the nation, which is why I believe it has relevance for the people of every state.
In part 1, JJ explains that charter schools in Hoboken serve a different population from the public schools. The mayor of Hoboken, Dawn Zimmer, sends her children to charter schools.
He writes:
When powerful, politically connected people send their kids to the same school, they will inevitably exercise their social and political capital to get what they want. This is the way America works in the 21st Century; it’s silly to deny it.
I’ll say again what I’ve said before: I’m sure HoLa is a fine school, with dedicated educators and families and wonderful, deserving children. All of the stakeholders in Hoboken’s charters should, like all school families, be proud of their school and their students.
Further: there is a very good case to be made that the segregation between suburban and urban schools is a far greater blight on our education system than anything urban charter schools may be doing. I don’t point out these issues in Hoboken as a way of avoiding the more serious problem of racial and economic apartheid that plagues New Jersey and the rest of the nation.
No, my point here is that the denial of the realties of Hoboken’s charters — like so much of the rhetoric surrounding the charter school debate — is keeping us from having a real discussion about what ails our urban schools. When Hoboken’s charter cheerleaders deny the obvious, they do a great disservice to students across their city and across this nation.
The charter sector in Hoboken thrives largely because it serves different families than the public schools.
What if charter schools served the neediest children? Then they could justly boast about the lives they turned around, instead of boasting about test scores.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
And even more frightening is that the “charter/choice dog” seems to is now be officially off its chain. However, I have faith that pro-public schools supporters just might find ways to “re-chain the dog”!!!
http://publicschoolscentral.com/
Tom
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As a NJ guy, I am so proud of JJ. Her really does a great job of exposing the reformistas and charterites for the phonies which they are.
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I really appreciate that, Joe. And I really appreciate that Dr. R reposted links to the entire series.
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What strikes me as especially offensive is that in the Charter Hola, a dual language school, they have 0% ELLs. They have the perfect opportunity to create a dual language
program. Instead, what they have is more like an enrichment class. In the ideal two way bilingual program, both English dominant and ELLs learn all subjects in both languages. They work together in cooperative groups and help each other master the weaker language. It is a great approach that works like a charm, if it is done correctly. What a missed opportunity! Hola says “adios” to ELLs.
As long as they can get away with it, I expect we will see more charters in urban areas catering to “yuppie” children. I think parents in Brooklyn will look at Hoboken as a model.
The big losers are the poor children that would have benefited from attending a school with students from a higher socioeconomic level. You can call it “modeling upward.” It works wonders for the poor students and does not harm the middle class students. I worked with poor ELLs in a middle class school district and saw the positive impact. Another missed opportunity!
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