Charter Schools Aren’t “Public”
Court’s Ruling Charter Schools Aren’t “Public” Is No Surprise
By Jeff Bryant
“The recent ruling by the supreme court of Washington state that charter schools are unconstitutional because they aren’t really public schools has sent advocates for these schools into a fit. But their often over-the-top criticisms of the decision are reflective of what is most often misunderstood about the charter school sector and what that industry has come to represent in the political debate about public schools … Operating under the mask of being purely ‘public,’ charter schools haven’t faced the scrutiny they warrant.”
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NEWS AND VIEWS
10 Years In, Tulsa’s Pre-K Investment Is Paying Off
NPR
“Researchers who’ve been studying preschoolers in Tulsa say … ‘These children did show huge gains in early math and early literacy skills … They were more likely to be engaged in school, less timid in the classroom and more attentive’ … Today, as eighth-graders … most of these kids are still doing really well … Researchers then compared these eighth-graders to a large sample of Tulsa eighth- and seventh-graders who did not attend preschool. They found that those students were not doing nearly as well … Tulsa’s program is considered a model for high-quality preschool programs nationwide.”
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When You’re Poor Or Homeless, It Can Be A Long Trip To School, Studies Find
Education Week
“Poverty can limit students’ ability to choose schools, but that doesn’t mean they stay close to home … In Chicago neighborhoods where families made on average less than $25,000 per year, high school freshmen attended a pool of about 13 different schools, commuting on average nearly 3 miles to school … By contrast, in neighborhoods with a median income over $75,000, most students attended a pool of about three local schools, and the commute was on average 1.7 miles … Homeless students traveled longer commutes to school on average than poor, housed students.”
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Map: How Student Poverty Has Increased Since The Great Recession
The Washington Post
“Not only are more American children poor today than before the Great Recession, but poor kids are increasingly clustered with poor classmates at school … Between 2006 and 2013, the number of students in high-poverty school districts – in which more than 20% of children live below the federal poverty line – increased from 15.9 million to 24 million … Nearly half of the nation’s 50 million public school students go to class with large numbers of peers who are growing up with poverty … The number of children going to class in school districts with even greater student poverty – higher than 40% – also increased, from about 1% to 4% of the national student population. Such high-poverty districts need more money to help address the issues that their students bring to school, including hunger, homelessness and higher risks for mental health challenges.”
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Unicef Warns Of Lost Generation Of War Children Out Of School
The New York Times
“War and upheaval across parts of the Middle East and North Africa in recent years have driven more than 13 million children from school – 40% of the affected area’s school-age population … In some countries – particularly Syria, which once had one of the world’s highest literacy rates – many children who ordinarily would be third or fourth graders by now have rarely if ever been inside a classroom … Five or 10 years ago, he said, it was unusual to have even 10% of the school-age populations in the region out of school … The collapse in primary education is another compelling reason for families with young children to flee.”
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How Jeb Bush’s Florida Plan For School ‘Choice’ Created An Industry Of Corruption And Chaos
Alternet
Jeff Bryant writes, “Charter schools may continue to enjoy generally favorable ratings in national surveys of Americans, but many parents and public officials across South Florida, where these schools are now more prevalent than in other parts of the country, openly complain about an education ‘innovation’ that seems more and more like an unsavory business venture … An increasing fear among parents and public officials across South Florida – and Broward County in particular – that any educational value charter schools were supposed to bring to the state is now overshadowed by corruption and chaos linked to money-making … Most people trace the manic scramble for more charter schools in Florida to one source: former governor and current Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush. In 1996, two years before he became governor, Bush helped steer passage of the state’s first law permitting charter schools. That same year, he led the effort to open the state’s first charter … There’s no doubt Bush’s ties to the charter industry will stay strong during his presidential run.”
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