Pondering Chartering: On Market Forces & Innovation? | School Finance 101

Pondering Chartering: On Market Forces & Innovation? | School Finance 101:
Pondering Chartering: On Market Forces & Innovation?

One of the original premises of chartering as a competitive market tool was that introducing independently governed competitors and relaxing regulations on those competitors would induce innovation, which could then be shared for the good of the whole. This premise is flawed on many levels.

First, if innovation is to be induced by competition, there exists no incentive for competitors to share their innovations.

Second, if one subset of competitors is granted relaxation of regulations such that they can innovate, then that subset of competitors is granted an unfair advantage in that the regulations imposed on their competition (“district” schools) may inhibit their ability to “counter-innovate.”

Further, this system creates an incentive for the unregulated competitors to lobby for even stiffer regulation on their competition (“district” schools). [for example, lobbying in favor of test-driven teacher evaluation requirements to be imposed on “district” schools in a climate of public concern over the influence of testing – and then seeking exemption from those requirements for charter schools]

Of course, as I explained on a previous post, from ongoing writings, growth of the charter sector is hardly based on a competitive market model in the first place. Rather, that growth in many markets is already built on aggressive lobbying and manipulation of public policy:

It is important to acknowledge that charter school market shares are not, in recent years, expanding exclusively or even primarily because of market demand and personal/family preferences for charter schools. Traditional district public schools are being closed, neighborhoods left without options other than charters, district schools are being reconstituted and handed over to charter operators (including entire districts), and district schools are increasingly deprived of resources, experience burgeoning class sizes, reductions in program offerings sending more families scrambling for their “least bad” nearest alternative. [i] These are conscious decisions of policymakers overseeing the system that includes district and charter schools. They are not market forces, and should never be confused as such. These systems are being centrally managed without regard for equity and adequacy goals or the protection of student, family, taxpayer and employee rights, but instead, on the false hope that liberty of choice is a substitute for all of the above (including, apparently, loss of individual liberties). [ii]

Further, for all the talk that this model of competition (which really isn’t) would yield innovations not previously conceived, a growing body of research, including that most favorable to the charter sector Pondering Chartering: On Market Forces & Innovation? | School Finance 101:

Can Community Schools Dampen the School Takeover Fever? - NEA Today

Can Community Schools Dampen the School Takeover Fever? - NEA Today:

Can Community Schools Dampen the School Takeover Fever?

The Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University and the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) released a new report on Dec. 17 that makes a strong case for collaborative, grassroots efforts to help turn around struggling schools.“Investing in What Works: Community-Driven Strategies for Strong Public Schools”points to examples of public schools that have improved student outcomes by becoming the center of a community while denouncing reforms that undermine local authority, such as school takeovers.

At the crux of the report is Georgia. In February, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 133 to create a state-run system—dubbed “Opportunity School District (OSD)”—that would control some of Georgia’s lowest-performing schools. One indicator would measure these schools: the College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI). If a school falls below 60 points of the CCRPI, it would be removed from local authority. Today, there are 137 schools statewide that would meet the proposed requirements of Senate Bill 133.

Georgia’s proposal mimics the misguided school reform efforts found in  Louisiana, Michigan, and Tennessee, which usurp local control as a way to transform struggling schools. Some of these strategies include charter conversion, indiscriminate staff and leadership removal, or school closures. According to Annenberg and SEF, the takeover models of Louisiana, Michigan, and Tennessee have neither shown continuous nor sweeping improvements in student outcomes.

“These state takeover districts have failed to consistently improve student outcomes, and failed to engage (and invest) communities and educators in any kind of visionary transformation that is needed in our public schools,” the report states. “Without such investment, even initial academic results will falter.” It goes on to say that these initiatives have created “bad will in the communities and schools that have been targeted by them.”

Tennessee’s Achievement School District (ASD), for example, was cited in the report for turning 18 of the 23 takeover schools into charters. Academic performance in most of the ASD schools has shown mixed results—and even some decline. Parent frustration has become an issue,

Chris Caldwell, a member of the Shelby County (Tennessee) School Board told theCommercial Appeal, “The way that (ASD) was implemented, it gave the families a feeling that they were being punished or isolated from the rest of the school system because of the performance of the school.”

If the Georgia legislation passes, Governor Nathan Deal would appoint an OSD superintendent who could enforce one of four interventions: direct management by Can Community Schools Dampen the School Takeover Fever? - NEA Today:

CURMUDGUCATION: The Federal Family Fixing Plan

CURMUDGUCATION: The Federal Family Fixing Plan:

The Federal Family Fixing Plan

It's the kind of document that only a federal bureaucracy could create, and you still have a little over two weeks to comment on it.  Meet the DRAFT POLICY STATEMENT ON FAMILY ENGAGEMENT FROM THE EARLY YEARS TO THE EARLY GRADES. 

It's a policy so bureaucraticky that it took two departments-- Education plus Health and Human Services-- to come up with it. Like all good government documents, it ranges from dull to obvious to dumb to terrifying. And it wants to address, in particular, pre-K. Also pre-pre-pre-K. Its stated purpose is to formulate some policies "on systematically engaging families in their children’s development, learning, and wellness, across early childhood and elementary education settings." 

Announcing the Problem

I tell my students never to open a piece of writing with a Bulletin from Captain Obvious (The Sun Also Rises is a book that people have read), but this opus leaps right in with "Families are children’s first and most important teachers, advocates, and nurturers."  That's not a problem, but the kind of governmental attitude that gives some folks fits starts to show up just one paragraph later with this sentence:

Both Departments recognize the critical role of family engagement in children’s success in the early and elementary education systems.

Does it? Why, that's mighty good of it, like a guy who says, "Lady, I think you look perfectly okay," or a white guy telling a brown guy, "Hey, I've decided it's perfectly okay for you to be here." Still can't see it? Then look at the definition of "family engagement."

We refer to “family engagement” as the systematic inclusion of families as partners in children’s development, learning, and wellness.

Congratulations, families! The government is going to "include" you as partners. It is the government's table. You're invited to have a seat at it, but it's their table. Consider how different CURMUDGUCATION: The Federal Family Fixing Plan:

How ALEC Stole the Public from Public Education: A Cautionary but Inspring Tale | Save Maine Schools

How ALEC Stole the Public from Public Education: A Cautionary but Inspring Tale | Save Maine Schools:

How ALEC Stole the Public from Public Education: A Cautionary but Inspring Tale

Andy Goldstein, a parent and teacher in Florida, wrote this story below and recited it before the School Board of Palm Beach County. The story is a cautionary tale about ALEC’s involvement in our public schools.

For those who may not know, ALEC is an organization that connects corporations and politicians behind closed doors.  They draft model legislation (designed to boost corporate profit) and bring these laws to our states.  Incentives for many of their favored policies, including Pay for Success, competency-based education, and – of course – high stakes testing – were written into the latest version of ESEA, which was signed into law this month.

Here is the story, with a link to his brilliant performance below.   Enjoy!

How the ALEC stole the Public from Public Education

Every kid
Down in Kidville
Liked public education a lot!
But the American Legislative Exchange Council, known as ALEC, did not.

ALEC hated public education
The whole public school season!
If you want to know why,
I’ll tell you the reason.
It’s a cautionary tale
That spans
‘cross many a political season.

Long long ago
And far far away
from high upon it’s perch
ALEC spied down
And set its eyes upon some prey!

It saw little boys and girls skipping merrily to school
and it grimaced a terrible grimmaceHow ALEC Stole the Public from Public Education: A Cautionary but Inspring Tale | Save Maine Schools:

The New Preschool Is Crushing Kids - The Atlantic

Kindergarten Has Become the New First Grade - The Atlantic:

The New Preschool Is Crushing Kids
Today’s young children are working more, but they’re learning less.

tep into an American preschool classroom today and you are likely to be bombarded with what we educators call a print-rich environment, every surface festooned with alphabet charts, bar graphs, word walls, instructional posters, classroom rules, calendars, schedules, and motivational platitudes—few of which a 4-year-old can “decode,” the contemporary word for what used to be known as reading.

Because so few adults can remember the pertinent details of their own preschool or kindergarten years, it can be hard to appreciate just how much the early-education landscape has been transformed over the past two decades. The changes are not restricted to the confusing pastiche on classroom walls. Pedagogy and curricula have changed too, most recently in response to the Common Core State Standards Initiative’s kindergarten guidelines. Much greater portions of the day are now spent on what’s called “seat work” (a term that probably doesn’t need any exposition) and a form of tightly scripted teaching known as direct instruction, formerly used mainly in the older grades, in which a teacher carefully controls the content and pacing of what a child is supposed to learn.

One study, titled “Is Kindergarten the New First Grade?,” compared kindergarten teachers’ attitudes nationwide in 1998 and 2010 and found that the percentage of teachers expecting children to know how to read by the end of the year had risen from 30 to 80 percent. The researchers also reported more time spent with workbooks and worksheets, and less time devoted to music and art. Kindergarten is indeed the new first grade, the authors concluded glumly. In turn, children who would once have used the kindergarten year as a gentle transition into school are in some cases being held back before they’ve had a chance to start. A study out of Mississippi found that in some counties, more than 10 percent of kindergartners weren’t allowed to advance to first grade.

Until recently, school-readiness skills weren’t high on anyone’s agenda, nor was the idea that the youngest learners might be disqualified from moving on to a subsequent stage. But now that kindergarten serves as a gatekeeper, not a welcome mat, to elementary school, concerns about school preparedness kick in earlier and earlier. A child who’s supposed to read by the end of kindergarten had better be getting ready in preschool. As a result, expectations that may arguably have been reasonable for 5- and 6-year-olds, such as being able to sit at a desk and complete a task using pencil and paper, are now directed at even younger Kindergarten Has Become the New First Grade - The Atlantic:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: DuSable librarian position restored. Thanks to 'anonymous donor' or student protests?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: DuSable librarian position restored. Thanks to 'anonymous donor' or student protests?:

DuSable librarian position restored. Thanks to 'anonymous donor' or student protests?

“Thanks to a generous anonymous gift, the librarian’s job can be restored at the DuSable campus,” CPS said in a statement.  -- Sun-Times

“That was just amazing … the kids … I’ve been here a long time, and one of the advantages of a librarian is you get to know kids when they’re little green freshman, then watch them write essays for college,” she said. “It was really very moving to me that they were willing to take that chance and take action.  -- DuSable librarian Sara Sayigh

I'm always amazed, though not surprised any more, by how money magically appears in broke-on-purpose coffers of the Chicago Public Schools.

While I'm elated to hear that students at DuSable (I still call it that) have their beloved librarian Sara Sayigh back, CPS's statement explaining the whole affair, is borderline laughable.  An anonymous donor? Really, Forrest Claypool? Are teaching and staff positions at CPS now like endowed chairs at the university, dependent on the benevolence of wealthy patrons? Is that even legal? Will it Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: DuSable librarian position restored. Thanks to 'anonymous donor' or student protests?:

When a school assigned homework on Islam, it drew so many threats the district shut down - Vox

When a school assigned homework on Islam, it drew so many threats the district shut down - Vox:

When a school assigned homework on Islam, it drew so many threats the district shut down

A high school world geography teacher in Augusta County, Virginia, gave her students what seemed like a standard assignment: a worksheet on Islam as part of a curriculum on world religions.

The backlash was so fierce that schools in the county, which is just west of Charlottesville, are closed today after a barrage of threatening phone calls and emails from people angry about the homework assignment.

RelatedIt's not just Trump: Islamophobia in America is spiraling out of control

The worksheet asked students to try to copy the shahada — the statement that "there is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah," the pillar of Muslim faith — in order to understand the complexity of Arabic calligraphy.

The ensuing fury is so over the top it almost seems like satire. Parents argued that the teacher, Cheryl LaPorte, was trying to convert students to Islam. One parent said she "gave up the Lord's time and gave to Mohammed." The local newspaper noted,ominously, that "students were also reportedly shown copies of the Quran."

Then, after parents objected, the threats to the school district started rolling in. The whole episode is a perfect summary of growing Islamophobia within the US and the lack of understanding that drives it — a problem that the world geography curriculum was trying to correct.

Parents argued that students were being forced to convert to Islam

Understanding religion and language is a key part of the world geography curriculum, required by Virginia state standards. The point of the worksheet was to give students a feel for what Arabic calligraphy looks like, and to show how it's interwoven with Muslim beliefs.

The phrase students were asked to copy is crucial — taking shahada is the only official step in conversion to Islam. But you have to mean what you're saying. You cannot accidentally end up a Muslim while trying to copy some difficult calligraphy in a language you don't speak as part of a homework assignment.

Parents in Staunton, Virginia, thought otherwise, the News Leader reported. One complained that a teacher would be fired if students had to copy out a passage from the Bible. The district superintendent was reduced to defending the notion of studying world religions at all:

Neither these lessons, nor any other lesson in the world geography course, are an attempt at indoctrination to Islam or any other religion, or a request for students to renounce their own faith or profess any belief. Each of the lessons attempts objectively to present world religions in a way that is interesting and interactive for students.

In the end, though, the district said in a statement that students in the future would copy Arabic calligraphy that didn't have religious relevance. (Copying calligraphy might not really be the most enlightening way to learn about another culture or religion, but that's a separate issue.)

Then it got worse. The district "began receiving voluminous phone calls and electronic mail locally and from outside the area," a statement posted Thursday on its website reads. The sheriff and school superintendent decided to cancel school Friday as a precaution.

The outrage became a perfect storm of fear

On Tuesday, Los Angeles' school district canceled school over threats that purported to be from Muslim terrorists but that turned out to be a hoax. Two days later, school was canceled in small-town Virginia due to threats from people who hate and fear Muslims.

Closing schools in Los Angeles now seems like an overreaction, and doing so in Virginia probably is too; the district said it hadn't received any specific threats but was alarmed When a school assigned homework on Islam, it drew so many threats the district shut down - Vox:

Clinton Views on Charter Schools, Teacher Evaluations Upset Some Democrats - WSJ

Clinton Views on Charter Schools, Teacher Evaluations Upset Some Democrats - WSJ:

Clinton Views on Charter Schools, Teacher Evaluations Upset Some Democrats
Some donors are balking, worried that her recent comments toe the line of teacher unions

WASHINGTON—Democrats backing the effort to overhaul American education have become increasingly concerned that presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton isn’t committed to their cause, and some donors are holding back support for her campaign.

Their worries stem from skeptical comments she has made about charter schools and teacher evaluations, as well as her close relationship with teachers’ unions, who are critical of both.

“There are a lot of deep-pocketed donors who are concerned, and they’re going to hang onto their checkbooks until there is more clarity,” said Whitney Tilson, managing partner of Kase Capital, who has given more than $150,000 to Democrats in recent years. He hasn’t donated any money to Mrs. Clinton or the super PAC supporting her this year “primarily because of this issue.”

Another major Democratic donor, Eli Broad, refused requests for contributions from another friendly super PAC, and only changed his mind after personal reassurances from former President Bill Clinton and campaign chairman John Podesta that Mrs. Clinton will support charter schools.

The concerns lay bare Mrs. Clinton’s challenge in managing competing interests inside the Democratic Party. Among them are teachers, many of whom see themselves as scapegoats for society’s problems, and those pushing more accountability and expanded use of charter schools, including many donors.

The threat of withholding contributions carries consequences. Republicans will spare no expense next fall when they coalesce behind a nominee and seek to defeat the Democratic nominee.

Democrats backing an education overhaul have long viewed Mrs. Clinton as an ally and point to her decades of support for rigorous teacher evaluations and charter schools. They hoped that if elected president, she would continue policies of the Obama administration, which tied grants and waivers from onerous federal rules to states’ support for charter schools and willingness to link student test scores and teacher pay.

Still, change is coming to federal education policy no matter who is elected. PresidentBarack Obama recently signed into law a rewrite of national elementary and secondary education regulations that severely limits the federal role in shaping education policy.

To put pressure on Mrs. Clinton, the advocacy group Democrats for Education Reform last spring posted an 18-page collection of her quotes and past positions online, hoping she would stick with them.

Mrs. Clinton hasn’t put out any formal policy on elementary and secondary education, though she often talks about the importance of preschool and has a detailed proposal Clinton Views on Charter Schools, Teacher Evaluations Upset Some Democrats - WSJ:

This Is Why Chicago Teachers Are Fed Up With The Mayor | ThinkProgress

This Is Why Chicago Teachers Are Fed Up With The Mayor | ThinkProgress:

This Is Why Chicago Teachers Are Fed Up With The Mayor

An overwhelming majority of the Chicago Teachers Union, 88 percent, voted on Monday to allow union leaders to call for a strike.

It will be several months before the union decides whether to actually begin a strike. First, they’re going on a “fact-finding mission” in one last effort to resolve the negotiations. But if they do decide to walk out of their classrooms, it will be the second time the union — which has 27,000 members and serves the nation’s third largest school district in the nation — has gone on strike in just a few years.

How did the CTU and mayor’s office get here? It’s complicated.

The last time teachers went on strike

Back in 2012, there was a massive teachers strike over maintaining the schedule for career advancement, putting less emphasis on standardized testing in teacher evaluations, and providing compensation for longer school years. It was the first time that Chicago teachers had gone on strike in a quarter of a century.

Groups of teachers picket outside Morgan Park High School in Chicago, Monday, Sept. 17, 2012, as a strike by Chicago Teachers Union members heads into its second week.

CREDIT: SPENCER GREEN/AP

During the strike, which began on September 10 of that year, CPS opened sites at libraries, churches, and nonprofits to provide children a place to go. One week later, Mayor Rahm Emanuelwent to court, seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the strike.

The 2012 strike officially ended on September 18, after the teachers union won annual raises and negotiated a provision that helps strongly rated laid-off teachers find more job opportunities in Chicago schools. They conceded, though, that standardized test results would still be factored into teachers’ evaluations.

This time around, many of the same issues are at play in contract negotiations. The CTU wants to reduce standardized testing, give teachers more autonomy on issues like grades and smaller class sizes, and provide for more school nurses and librarians. The union also asks that the school address larger economic problems by providing translation services, restorative justice programs, and school counselors.

How the teachers union and the mayor got to this point

The relationship between the mayor and the CTU did not improve after reaching a deal in 2012. In fact, it became so contentious that the president of the teachers union, Karen Lewis, considered jumping into the mayor’s race herself. Though she ultimately decided not to run due to medical issues, education loomed large in the most recent mayoral race. Emanuel’s opponent, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, was recruited by Lewis to run and received a substantial portion of his campaign money from teachers unions, including $200,000 from the American Federation of Teachers.

After failing to win more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, Emanuel had to run against This Is Why Chicago Teachers Are Fed Up With The Mayor | ThinkProgress:

BustED Pencils Trending News: Nope; Busting; Standing Parents | BustED Pencils

BustED Pencils Trending News: Nope; Busting; Standing Parents | BustED Pencils:

BustED Pencils Trending News: Nope; Busting; Standing Parents

No meaningful link!  First part of this article rocks.  The second part doesn’t really relate to the standardized tests.  It more relates to the “teacher made” tests.  Take a look and decide for yourself.

Four Tips to Make it Easier on Everyone

http://southhills.macaronikid.com/article/1124535/too-much-testing

Clap clap clap! BustED some Pencils!!

How important is arts education?

https://www.facebook.com/natgeotvUS/videos/10153617771436005/?fref=nf

When parents stand up for their children…

American Education 2017

https://www.facebook.com/alan.c.schwartz.3/videos/10153748881142889/?theater

Get BustED Pencils Trending News to come right to your in-box!

Enter your email under “SUBSCRIBE” on our Home or Trending News page at bustedpencils.com

BustED Pencils Trending News: Nope; Busting; Standing Parents | BustED Pencils:

Common Core: A Serious Problem for Governors in 2016 | Truth in American Education

Common Core: A Serious Problem for Governors in 2016 | Truth in American Education:

Common Core: A Serious Problem for Governors in 2016

Common Core has been a thorn in Jeb Bush’s presidential campapign
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore (CC-By-SA 2.0)

It has taken a while for the mainstream media to focus on the effect Common Core has had on Republican presidential campaigns. But Fred Barnes of The Weekly Standard, in discussing the unexpected weakness and in some cases collapse of candidates who were or are governors, has drawn the connection between a governor’s support of Common Core and his political fortunes.

As Barnes notes, governors can present themselves as more experienced and reliable since they’ve had to make decisions and run things, not just talk about what they would do if given an executive position. But when they act against the wishes of their states’ citizens on something as critical as education, those citizens sound the alarm about the true nature of this Man Who Would Be President. And with the pro-Constitution, anti-Common Core movement connected by such national networks as TAE, there’s nowhere for the offending governor to hide.

The worst miscreant on the Common Core front, of course, is former Gov. Jeb Bush. Anyone who has attended anti-Common Core rallies in critical electoral states such as Ohio knew from the outset that Bush had no chance with the base (he could have saved a lot of time and money if he had consulted us before launching his campaign). Bush has been Mr. Common Core from the beginning, and nothing he could do or say would change that.

And speaking of Ohio, Gov. John Kasich has achieved the distinction of alienating his constituents Common Core: A Serious Problem for Governors in 2016 | Truth in American Education:

The Zuckerberg Donation and a Legacy of Control | Dissident Voice

The Zuckerberg Donation and a Legacy of Control | Dissident Voice:

The Zuckerberg Donation and a Legacy of Control

When I was very young, my parents used to tell me why having “lots of toys” wasn’t a good idea. “The more you have, the more you want,” they would say. I didn’t have many toys — we were poor — so the idea of possessions feeding greed didn’t make much sense to me then.

But I’ve learned the truth of that statement from observation over the years and lately I’ve been observing Mark Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg is a 31-year-old computer programmer who did two things that made him famous: he founded Facebook, the social networking super service, and, as a result, he amassed a fortune worth about $46 billion. His bank account is as large as the capitalization of many countries.

The Zuckerberg Family

How he got to these lofty heights of wealth and cultural impact is a matter of often fierce debate — he’s been sued by former “partners” several times. But what’s more important than how he got control of Facebook is what he’s constructed with it: a ubiquitous presence in the lives of a billion people with the potential to frame and manipulate their communications, their relationships and, to a frighteningly large extent, their lives.

So last month, when Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan announced in aletter to their new baby — a rather novel way to package a press release — that, over the course of their lives, they will give almost all their Facebook shares to a project called the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the world took note.

The Initiative, they explained, would “advance human potential and promote equality” in health, education, scientific research, and energy. In short, change the world: on its face, a worthy cause. But, like many of Zuckerberg’s plans and projects, this one has another side that is darker, more cynical and, even if only partially successful, a potential nightmare for the human race.

How many zeroes are there in $46 billion? More than most of us will ever see. So it’s tough for us “average people” to fathom what a billionaire does with his or her money. Even living the most opulent life-style imaginable wouldn’t start to dent those savings in a bank — the interest alone would pay for everything you could imagine owning. That, in a sense, is Mark Zuckerberg’s dilemna. At 31, he has so much money he doesn’t know what to do with it.

So he follows a long capitalist tradition called philanthropy. In projects that range from supporting education to enhancing Internet access world-wide to tackling specific social problems, Zuckerberg has thrown money at social inequality like a park visitor throws bread-crumbs to pigeons…except the pigeons actually benefit.

When he gave $100 million to the Newark Public Schools, the money was largely wasted with very little impact on the quality of education in that embattled city. When he has joined other rich philanthropists, like Warren Buffett, in a string of similar projects — funding schools or programs in other U.S. cities, giving major endowments to hospitals or funding initiatives in Global South countries — they have usually fallen short of their expectations or projected expectations that didn’t make much sense in the long term. Some good happens but the social problems remain and often deepen.

At the same time, he’s used his wealth and power to launch Internet projects like one that brings together almost a million software developers to work on Facebook improvement and another, called Beacon, that enables people to share information with their Facebook friends based on their browsing activities on other sites (also providing a huge resource to advertisers and marketing people).

In the Summer of 2013, Zuckerberg launched “Internet.org” whose stated purpose is to bring internet access to over 5 billion people world-wide. The access, however, is partial; only certain websites will be seen by these newly connected people in part because many of the world’s governments don’t The Zuckerberg Donation and a Legacy of Control | Dissident Voice:

Flea Flicker: Rocketship appeals to state board to build school in Concord - ContraCostaTimes

Rocketship appeals to state board to build school in Concord - ContraCostaTimes.com:
Rocketship appeals to state board to build school in Concord

The Charter School Approval Flea Flicker

CONCORD -- After being rejected by district and county education boards in its bid to establish a new elementary school in the Monument Corridor, nationwide charter school operator Rocketship Education is appealing to the state in hopes of reviving the proposal.

The charter school network, which operates a number of schools in San Jose, submitted the appeal this week to the California State Board of Education, said David Kuizenga, vice president of Rocketship in the Bay Area.

"The reason we appealed was the same reason we decided to file the petition in the first place, there's still a lot of demand by parents for the school," he said, adding that just over 1,100 parents in the district signed a petition requesting that the charter school be built. "The need and demand is there, so we will continue to pursue the school."

Rocketship's bid to open a charter school in time for the 2016/17 school year was rejected by Mt. Diablo Unified School District in August. Rocketship filed an appeal with the Contra Costa County Board of Education, which also denied the petition in a 4-1 vote in October. The county board cited concerns about adequate staffing to educate its English language learners, its use of non-credentialed teachers and a lack of clarity surrounding its finances and its board representation. In particular, the board had questions about adequacy of local representation, since the school's board meetings are held in San Jose.

Kuizenga said that much of its appeal is based on the fact that Contra Costa County education staff evaluated the petition and it actually recommended approval, albeit with a Rocketship appeals to state board to build school in Concord - ContraCostaTimes.com:

Big Education Ape: Glendale Unified board denies charter school plans; petitioners say they will appeal to county -... http://bit.ly/1P9tvbD

For-profit charter schools are failing and fading. Here’s why.

For-profit charter schools are failing and fading. Here’s why.:

These Charter Schools Tried to Turn Public Education Into Big Business. They Failed.

It takes time, and nearly infinite patience, to build academically strong networks of schools from scratch. Investors aren’t used to waiting, though.

More and more these days, Americans think about schools using the language of business. Superintendents are “CEOs.” Districts manage “portfolios” of schools. And pundits talk obsessively about American schools’ “competitiveness.”

But we don’t always like them to act like businesses, particularly when it comes to having an overt profit motive. Partly as a result, for-profit public charter schools—at least the brick-and-mortar variety—are slowly dying in some states. Once touted as a model that would reduce inefficiencies in public education and achieve economies of scales by operating schools in multiple states, for-profit charters have fallen out of fashion. Charter schools in general are becoming more popular across the country, but since the early 2000s, for-profit charter operators have lost ground to their nonprofit peers. And their failure, in large part, has been the result of bad business plans—something the companies themselves freely admit. 

Edison Schools—once the biggest name in the for-profit charter industry—partnered with 130 schools (some noncharter) in the early 2000s and fully managed 80. It now manages only five. In 2000, Advantage Schools, another for-profit chain, enrolled more than 10,000 children across the country. Today it enrolls zero. New Orleans hired several for-profit companies to manage some new charter schools after Hurricane Katrina. But by 2013 all of them had disappeared, their schools taken over by nonprofit operators. In recent years, lawmakers in Mississippi, Ohio, andTennessee have all taken steps to curb the growth of for-profit charters or ban them outright.

“You can’t make a profit and get good results.”

James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center

Nationally, in 2007 for-profit management companies ran almost half of charter schools that are part of chains or larger networks of schools. By 2010, the most recent year the figures were compiled, the number had dropped to 37 percent, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Gary Miron, a professor of educational leadership at Western Michigan University, says for-profit brick-and-mortar charter schools are by no means gone yet—and their online counterparts, which run degree-awarding charter schools on the Web, in particular, continue to flourish. But large for-profit operators with aspirations of operating scores of brick-and-mortar charter schools nationally have become something of an anomaly.

Their downfall has much to teach us not only about for-profit charters but aboutFor-profit charter schools are failing and fading. Here’s why.: