The Willful Ignorance of the NJ Star Ledger
After having a series of conversations with Star Ledger reporter Julie O’Connor about her desire to write a cover story about how TEAM Academy is producing miracles in Newark, I wrote this post:
The reason for this post is explained in this paragraph:
Well, one reason I’m going there is that I’m sick of getting e-mail and phone inquiry after inquiry about the same charter schools – and only charter schools – asking how/why are they creating miracle outcomes. I try to explain that there may be more to the story. The reporter then says that the charter school’s data person says I’m wrong – validating their miracle outcomes (despite their own data not being publicly available/replicable, etc. and often with reference to awesome outcomes reported in popularly cited studies of totally different charter schools).
For a while after writing this, I figured that the NJ Star Ledger reporter who was so insistent on writing her rah rah TEAM article had simply given up. But alas no. The puff piece finally arrived today:http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/05/beating_newarks_odds_kipp_charter_network_is_poise.html#incart_river
Now, it’s written as an editorial, so I guess that means it’s okay to make stuff up, ignore lots of stuff, and just generally roll with a combination of propaganda provided to you by the school and your own personal predisposition.
What’s so disturbing about this all is that the title of the editorial itself is directly refuted by the statewide analysis I provided. That TEAM relatively marginally beats expectations, and in fact, several Newark Public schools and a few other charter schools in Newark “beat the odds” so to speak, by much more. AND THE AUTHOR OF THE EDITORIAL WAS FULLY AWARE OF THIS.
I refused to call the reporter in part because I wanted there to be a full, complete transcript of our e-mail conversations. I’m sick of banging my head against this wall.
Below is a transcript of the conversation that started with an inquiry to Diane Ravitch from Julie O’Connor. Others were included on the e-mail chain and jump in at various points.
Reporter Inquiry
Prof. Ravitch,
I’m on the editorial board at The Star-Ledger in New Jersey, and I’m working on a cover story for our Perspective section about the KIPP schools in our state. The college attendance stats of KIPP seniors in Newark seem pretty impressive, and I was wondering if you have the same reaction, and what you think of KIPP’s forays into Camden.
Would really appreciate it if you could give me a call at 973-836-4902. Would like to discuss KIPP in the context of your criticisms of the broader charter school movement, and whether or not you think it is an exception.
Many thanks,
Julie O’Connor
The hand-off
Julie,
I suggest you talk to Mark Weber and Bruce Baker at Rutgers, who have studied charters in NJ. I lean on their research. The question is not whether one chain can produce successful graduates, but whether charters in general are helping the most vulnerable schools, whether they are reducing the funding and capacity of public schools, and whether their success-when it exists–is the result of selection and attrition.
Diane Ravitch
Reporter
Ok, thanks for your prompt reply.
Prof. Baker emailed me his report on free/reduced lunch and the TEAM schools, but I have been unable to reach him on the phone to discuss KIPP or my follow up questions.
Basically, I am looking for a reaction to two claims from KIPP that seem impressive: The college attendance rates (last year, 95 percent of KIPP seniors went to college, 89% to a 4-year, 6 percent to a 2-year), and the fact that KIPP kids in elementary and high school equal or outperform the average for the state of NJ (some years they do in middle school, too, though this year they didn’t).
KIPP kids are 87% free/reduced lunch and the state is in the 30s. I understand that Baker and others are skeptical about comparing KIPP kids to their peers in the Newark district. But what about comparing them The Willful Ignorance of the NJ Star Ledger | School Finance 101: