With the Christie administration poised to announce approvals for a new wave of charter schools today, some educators say the state needs to be more vigilant in making sure charters keep their promises to be models of reform.
While some charters, like North Star Academy in Newark, winner of a national Blue Ribbon for excellence, are shining successes, others underperform even in the most troubled districts.
Community Charter School of Paterson is a notable example; only 18 percent of its fourth-graders passed proficiency tests in language arts last spring and 33 percent passed in math, a problem its leaders attribute largely to growing pains. It opened 2 1/2 years ago.
Even charter boosters say the Education Department needs to set more specific standards and enforce them more carefully.
"In the past, the department's work on oversight was weak," said Greg Richmond, president of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, which is