Regulating charter school demographics proves challenging
One of the most heralded parts of the new charter law forced charter schools to enroll more students with disabilities, learning English, and living in poverty.
But that will be trickier than it sounds.
The most immediate problem is access to data. The state’s two main charter school authorizers, the State University of New York’s Charter School Institute and the state education department, are tasked with setting enrollment targets that its charter schools must meet.
The crucial piece of information that SUNY needs to set its targets is how many needy students currently attend charter schools and neighborhing district schools. The law mandates that charter schools aim to enroll and retain needy students at “comparable” rates to other public schools in the district.
In order to make accurate comparisons between charter and district enrollments, SUNY needs to be able to see the current rates at both its charter schools and neighboring district schools all over the state. (The state
But that will be trickier than it sounds.
The most immediate problem is access to data. The state’s two main charter school authorizers, the State University of New York’s Charter School Institute and the state education department, are tasked with setting enrollment targets that its charter schools must meet.
The crucial piece of information that SUNY needs to set its targets is how many needy students currently attend charter schools and neighborhing district schools. The law mandates that charter schools aim to enroll and retain needy students at “comparable” rates to other public schools in the district.
In order to make accurate comparisons between charter and district enrollments, SUNY needs to be able to see the current rates at both its charter schools and neighboring district schools all over the state. (The state
