What’s next for ‘parent trigger’?
Posted in No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, Turning around failing schoolsIn legislation passed in January to strengthen the state’s Race to the Top application, the Legislature included landmark reforms that potentially could give parents a lot more control over their children’s education.
This week, three parent advocate groups sent letters to the powers that be in Sacramento asking the right question, So what now?
If the “parent trigger” and open enrollment – the two measures contained in SBX5-4 – are to avoid protracted litigation, the process for implementing them must be well-defined. So far, there is no process, only broad concepts. The bill lacked details.
The three groups – the state PTA, Public Advocates and PICO California – are calling for the Department of Education to create a working group to draft guidelines and to propose a bill resolving confusion if necessary. That’s a good idea.
Under the parent trigger, if the majority of parents at a low-performing school sign a petition, the school board will be required to adopt a restructuring strategy that could include inviting in a charter school. The bill limits the parent trigger to the first 75 schools that are petitioned. It will apply to 1,700 schools that have failed to meet their targets under the federal No Child Left Behind law for at least four years —a large universe.
If the “parent trigger” and open enrollment – the two measures contained in SBX5-4 – are to avoid protracted litigation, the process for implementing them must be well-defined. So far, there is no process, only broad concepts. The bill lacked details.
The three groups – the state PTA, Public Advocates and PICO California – are calling for the Department of Education to create a working group to draft guidelines and to propose a bill resolving confusion if necessary. That’s a good idea.
Under the parent trigger, if the majority of parents at a low-performing school sign a petition, the school board will be required to adopt a restructuring strategy that could include inviting in a charter school. The bill limits the parent trigger to the first 75 schools that are petitioned. It will apply to 1,700 schools that have failed to meet their targets under the federal No Child Left Behind law for at least four years —a large universe.
