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Friday, February 26, 2010

This Week In Education: Trends: Charter Schools For Rich Kids, Part 2

This Week In Education: Trends: Charter Schools For Rich Kids, Part 2
Trends: Charter Schools For Rich Kids, Part 2

Goldensolar-ed01What to make of the fact that there are 79 low-poverty charter schools spread out among the 2800 "private" public schools cited in a recent Fordham Foundation report (here)? 
The Fordham report makes the point that a small but substantial number of public schools serve a narrow, well-off slice of the public -- as exclusive if not more so than many private schools and almost all charter schools. 
The existence of a small number of low-poverty / high wealth charter schools doesn't really undercut that observation.  And as Fordham's Mike Petrilli pointed out to me, many of these schools are located in states that were early entrants to charter schooling and may be remnants from the days when the focus wasn't on poor and/or academically disadvantaged children.
The number may be growing, however, and in my mind that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Charter