Houston: The Double Standard That Favors Charters
W. J. Gumbert left the following comment about the state takeover of Houston, based on the low test scores of one high school. For the uninitiated, Governor Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick hate public schools. John Arnold is a billionaire who made his money as an energy trader at Enron and now campaigns against public sector pensions and in favor of charter schools.
Gumbert writes:
Let’s remember that charters close their low performing campuses enrolling economically disadvantaged students to circumvent accountability. Wheatley HS is 93.8% economically disadvantaged, 78.9% “at-risk”, 20.5% special education and student mobility is 28.5%. Wheatley would be evaluated under the “alternative academic accountability standards if it was operated by a charter. Regardless, TEA assigned HISD an academic accountability rating of 88.
At the same time as HISD’s takeover, TEA has approved the following charters, operated by appointed boards, to expand despite operating campuses with a lower rating than Wheatley HS:
KIPP Texas – 4 campuses rated 46-54
International Leadership of Texas – 3 campuses rated 45- CONTINUE READING: Houston: The Double Standard That Favors Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog
International Leadership of Texas – 3 campuses rated 45- CONTINUE READING: Houston: The Double Standard That Favors Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog