The benefits of a good PR machine (and the REAL reason for charters)
One of the characteristics of charter schools (Harmony, KIPP, and YES) and some ed reform organizations (TFA in particular) that I find terribly repugnant is the incessant public relations effort surrounding these efforts and the lies, omissions, and obfuscations that often come along with press releases.
Schools Matter has an excellent blog post up about some KIPP PR. This can be accessed at
http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2011/06/tennesseeans-undergo-propaganda-barrage.html
Note that the KIPP CEO never actually lies, but leaves out information or defines things in a way that are beneficial to KIPP.
Harmony schools often operate in the same way. On TexasISD.com (the website I read most often), there is a press release from Harmony Schools that can be found at:
http://www.texasisd.com/article_113128.shtml
The Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Soner Tarim, states:
For the past decade, HPS has provided students living in underserved communities