Sunday, November 29, 2009

City schools may imitate best of charter schools | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle


City schools may imitate best of charter schools democratandchronicle.com Democrat and Chronicle:

"Rochester schools could take a big step forward in student achievement next school year.

Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard wants to take five schools and model them after successful charter schools."

Administrators, the teachers union and parents must be willing partners to ensure success.

This page, in its "Rescue City Schools" project in 2008, advocated that the district try to replicate the success of True North Rochester Preparatory School. That school had some of the best math scores in the county last year, despite serving mostly poor kids.
In fact, Brizard mentioned that school in a recent meeting with the Editorial Board where he announced the "autonomous schools" project.


Brizard's idea is to choose five schools and give them as much autonomy as possible, in terms of having control over how monies are spent and how faculty are selected.
So far, the teachers union is on board. It's expected to approve a contract extension on Monday that calls for working with the district on this.