New Orleans: How Exclusive Charter Schools Select Their Enrollments
Danielle Dreilinger, a reporter in New Orleans, describes the mechanisms used by three high-performing charter schools in New Orleans to separate the wheat from the chaff and get the students they want.
These three charters have figured out how to remain high-performing.
For example,
Each deploys a unique set of requirements so complicated that parents have made spreadsheets to keep track of the steps, which, as per the schools’ websites and extensive conversations with staff, include some combination of:
Parent attendance at a meeting
A questionnaire filled out by the parent showing they understand the school’s curriculum
An application hand-delivered to the school during business hours
A portfolio of the student’s work
The child’s school attendance record
Scores from a single sitting of a standardized exam, with no retests allowed
Within these details are more details. Lusher applicants, for example, must submit a profile detailing the student’s experience and interests in New Orleans: How Exclusive Charter Schools Select Their Enrollments | Diane Ravitch's blog: