December 23, 2013
Charter schools make a basic promise to students, parents, school districts and the state: They operate with greater autonomy and flexibility than regular public schools in exchange for increased accountability.
In keeping with this covenant, the California Charter Schools Assn. has established an accountability framework and minimum criteria for charter renewal. As charters come up for renewal, this framework allows us to not only support high-performing schools but shine a light on schools that aren't doing their job.
This month, the CCSA is calling for the closure of six schools across the state because of poor academic performance, including one in Los Angeles.
The charter movement in Los Angeles has much to celebrate. The 262 charter schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District are among the highest performing in the state, and they are also among the highest performing of all public schools in the nation, based on the state's most recent Academic Performance Index scores, on graduation rates and on college readiness indicators (such as the percentage of graduates who complete college prep classes).
By and large, L.A. Unified charters also outperform the district average in API scores and graduation rates for Latino and African American students, and students from low-income families; in other