Board seeks to shutter failing charter schools
Friday, July 30, 2010
Oakland's American Indian Public Charter School is cited as one that took a few years to find traction.
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(07-29) 19:26 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Failing charter schools across California could be shut down by the state Board of Education under a major policy shift aimed at ensuring that the alternative public schools fulfill their role as models of academic innovation.
Dozens of the state's 850 or so charter schools, which have significant freedom outside the state Education Code, fall among the lowest-performing schools on standardized tests.
That's unacceptable, state Board of Education members say.
"I don't have a lot of tolerance for these schools," said Board of Education member Ben Austin. "We need to be holding charter schools to at least the same standard as regular schools, if not higher."
The Board of Education is expected to finalize the new rules in September after a period of public comment this month. The regulations would require the board to vote on the fate of struggling charters each spring, deciding which underachieving schools should be closed at the end of the academic year and which ones should be forced to jump through hoops
Dozens of the state's 850 or so charter schools, which have significant freedom outside the state Education Code, fall among the lowest-performing schools on standardized tests.
That's unacceptable, state Board of Education members say.
"I don't have a lot of tolerance for these schools," said Board of Education member Ben Austin. "We need to be holding charter schools to at least the same standard as regular schools, if not higher."
The Board of Education is expected to finalize the new rules in September after a period of public comment this month. The regulations would require the board to vote on the fate of struggling charters each spring, deciding which underachieving schools should be closed at the end of the academic year and which ones should be forced to jump through hoops
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/30/MN6E1EL9GL.DTL&type=education#ixzz0vB4mAyWE