ARTICLE: The next charter school war: Eva Moskowitz is ready to expand into a wealthier, whiter nabes
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FriendsOfMacombs.com
Oct 18, 2010, 7:30:47 PM10/18/10
to FriendsOfMacombs.com
FYI!
I disagree with Mr. Errol's view on this matter but I thought it was an ipinion piece that should be shared with the larger audience for discussion and information..
The next charter school war: Eva Moskowitz is ready to expand into a wealthier, whiter nabes
By: Errol Louis
NYDailyNews.com | Sunday, October 17th 2010, 4:00 AM
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/10/17/2010-10-17_the_next_charter_school_war.html
-----------------
The next charter school war: Eva Moskowitz is ready to expand into a wealthier, whiter nabes
Errol Louis
Sunday, October 17th 2010, 4:00 AM
New York's road to better education is about to take a crucial turn, as the Success Academy charter school network moves to open a 193-seat facility not in its usual inner-city neighborhoods of Central Harlem or the South Bronx, but on the decidedly less poor upper West Side.
Until now, the city's high profile charter schools - including the KIPP network, Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children's Zone and Harlem Success - have focused on low-income neighborhoods where test scores and parent satisfaction have been low for decades, even generations.
Opening a charter on the upper West Side - preferably somewhere between 96th and 120th Sts., says Success Academy CEO Eva Moskowitz - signals that charter operators are willing to compete in neighborhoods that already boast outstanding public and private schools, and preparing to make their schools the norm in all sorts of communities rather than a specialized response in our most underserved neighborhoods.
That's either thrilling or threatening, depending on which side of the school-reform skirmish line one inhabits.
"We think there's tremendous parental need and demand" on the West Side, says Moskowitz. "It's an anxiety-producing experience, no matter what your race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status, to find a great public school for your child. Just because you have more means doesn't mean that it's a cakewalk."
Moskowitz is hoping to get approval from the Department of Education to open in the same building as Public School 145, the Bloomingdale School, located on 105th St. between Columbus and Amsterdam Aves.
On paper, at least, it looks like PS 145 can easily accommodate another 200 students within its walls. State figures show student enrollment at the school dropped to 431 in 2009 from 524 in 2007, an 18% decline.
Adding 193 kids to a school at 59% of capacity should be simple, but it won't be. It takes multiple public hearings and DOE approval before a proposed charter can "co-locate" in the same building as a zoned school.
In years past, the review process has become a forum for noisy demonstrations and bitter denunciations of charters, the reform movement and Moskowitz personally, at times.
Some of these angry exchanges, captured on video, form memorable parts of the pro-charter documentary "The Lottery." The film makes charter opponents look awful - angry, selfish, uncomprehending - and will, I hope, dissuade charter opponents from using street-theater tactics against reform-minded educators trying to create badly needed learning opportunities.
"I'm hoping we've come down from the ledge a little bit," says Moskowitz, referring to an ugly scene that unfolded when protesters picketed the opening of a Harlem Success unit while kindergarteners were arriving for their first day of school.
Make no mistake about it: Moskowitz, a former city councilwoman, is no pushover. She wields far more influence now than she ever had in the Council, with the political skill to build alliances and the savvy to guard, invest and grow her most important capital: the ability to run excellent schools in a city that is desperate for them.
Moskowitz never looks for a fight - but won't walk away from one, either. And she's realistic about the coming fight to secure space at P.S. 145.
"I've learned to expect criticism wherever I go," she told me. "I certainly want to do everything I can to take the temperature down. I just hope we can do the discussion with a little less inflammatory language."
Good luck with that one.
My guess is that die-hard charter opponents will discern some nefarious plot in Moskowitz's application for a West Side charter.
When she only served low-income kids, the accusation went up that she was taking advantage of a high-needs neighborhood. Expanding to slightly more upscale areas will probably draw charges of catering to wealthy families to the exclusion of others.
Parents of school-age kids - the key players in this drama - are likely to ignore all the politics and focus on Success Academy's sky-high test scores and ferocious culture of learning, where even the youngest kids are expected to do a science experiment every day, read dozens of books a month and start thinking about college as early as kindergarten.
That's a level of public schooling we deserve in every corner of the city.
elo...@nydailynews.com
Peace,
K
--
Coordinating Member / FriendsOfMacombs.com
Tele: 646-714-3221
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Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/friends-of-macombs-news
*Struggle for New Library & State of the Art Multifunction Facility for the
Youth in "The Valley" North Harlem above West 152nd St.*
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named. It may contain information that is privileged, confidential and
exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended
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and delete this email.
I disagree with Mr. Errol's view on this matter but I thought it was an ipinion piece that should be shared with the larger audience for discussion and information..
The next charter school war: Eva Moskowitz is ready to expand into a wealthier, whiter nabes
By: Errol Louis
NYDailyNews.com | Sunday, October 17th 2010, 4:00 AM
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/10/17/2010-10-17_the_next_charter_school_war.html
-----------------
The next charter school war: Eva Moskowitz is ready to expand into a wealthier, whiter nabes
Errol Louis
Sunday, October 17th 2010, 4:00 AM
New York's road to better education is about to take a crucial turn, as the Success Academy charter school network moves to open a 193-seat facility not in its usual inner-city neighborhoods of Central Harlem or the South Bronx, but on the decidedly less poor upper West Side.
Until now, the city's high profile charter schools - including the KIPP network, Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children's Zone and Harlem Success - have focused on low-income neighborhoods where test scores and parent satisfaction have been low for decades, even generations.
Opening a charter on the upper West Side - preferably somewhere between 96th and 120th Sts., says Success Academy CEO Eva Moskowitz - signals that charter operators are willing to compete in neighborhoods that already boast outstanding public and private schools, and preparing to make their schools the norm in all sorts of communities rather than a specialized response in our most underserved neighborhoods.
That's either thrilling or threatening, depending on which side of the school-reform skirmish line one inhabits.
"We think there's tremendous parental need and demand" on the West Side, says Moskowitz. "It's an anxiety-producing experience, no matter what your race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status, to find a great public school for your child. Just because you have more means doesn't mean that it's a cakewalk."
Moskowitz is hoping to get approval from the Department of Education to open in the same building as Public School 145, the Bloomingdale School, located on 105th St. between Columbus and Amsterdam Aves.
On paper, at least, it looks like PS 145 can easily accommodate another 200 students within its walls. State figures show student enrollment at the school dropped to 431 in 2009 from 524 in 2007, an 18% decline.
Adding 193 kids to a school at 59% of capacity should be simple, but it won't be. It takes multiple public hearings and DOE approval before a proposed charter can "co-locate" in the same building as a zoned school.
In years past, the review process has become a forum for noisy demonstrations and bitter denunciations of charters, the reform movement and Moskowitz personally, at times.
Some of these angry exchanges, captured on video, form memorable parts of the pro-charter documentary "The Lottery." The film makes charter opponents look awful - angry, selfish, uncomprehending - and will, I hope, dissuade charter opponents from using street-theater tactics against reform-minded educators trying to create badly needed learning opportunities.
"I'm hoping we've come down from the ledge a little bit," says Moskowitz, referring to an ugly scene that unfolded when protesters picketed the opening of a Harlem Success unit while kindergarteners were arriving for their first day of school.
Make no mistake about it: Moskowitz, a former city councilwoman, is no pushover. She wields far more influence now than she ever had in the Council, with the political skill to build alliances and the savvy to guard, invest and grow her most important capital: the ability to run excellent schools in a city that is desperate for them.
Moskowitz never looks for a fight - but won't walk away from one, either. And she's realistic about the coming fight to secure space at P.S. 145.
"I've learned to expect criticism wherever I go," she told me. "I certainly want to do everything I can to take the temperature down. I just hope we can do the discussion with a little less inflammatory language."
Good luck with that one.
My guess is that die-hard charter opponents will discern some nefarious plot in Moskowitz's application for a West Side charter.
When she only served low-income kids, the accusation went up that she was taking advantage of a high-needs neighborhood. Expanding to slightly more upscale areas will probably draw charges of catering to wealthy families to the exclusion of others.
Parents of school-age kids - the key players in this drama - are likely to ignore all the politics and focus on Success Academy's sky-high test scores and ferocious culture of learning, where even the youngest kids are expected to do a science experiment every day, read dozens of books a month and start thinking about college as early as kindergarten.
That's a level of public schooling we deserve in every corner of the city.
elo...@nydailynews.com
Peace,
K
--
Coordinating Member / FriendsOfMacombs.com
Tele: 646-714-3221
EMail: FOM...@GMail.com
Twitter: @MacombsInHarlem
Web Site: http://www.FriendsOfMacombs.com
Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/friends-of-macombs-news
*Struggle for New Library & State of the Art Multifunction Facility for the
Youth in "The Valley" North Harlem above West 152nd St.*
===
This transmission is intended only for the use of the individual or entity
named. It may contain information that is privileged, confidential and
exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended
recipient of these documents then you should notify the sender immediately
and delete this email.
David S. Duhalde
Oct 18, 2010, 10:33:46 PM10/18/10
to defend-e...@googlegroups.com
Amazing how things change - I went to PS 145!
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David S. Duhalde
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Cambridge, MA 02140
Cell: 917-566-0004
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Michael Friedman
Oct 19, 2010, 7:56:22 AM10/19/10
to defend-e...@googlegroups.com
Keep in mind one detail... When Moskowitz and her ilk operate schools
in Harlem, they are NOT for everyone. She creams off the
highest-performing students, which enables her to crow about her
achievements and rake in $$$. The remaining students are crammed into
ever more crowded and resource-depleted hell-holes. This is the logic
behind her move into wealthier neighborhoods, and it shows clearly the
intrinsic logic of the charter movement.
in Harlem, they are NOT for everyone. She creams off the
highest-performing students, which enables her to crow about her
achievements and rake in $$$. The remaining students are crammed into
ever more crowded and resource-depleted hell-holes. This is the logic
behind her move into wealthier neighborhoods, and it shows clearly the
intrinsic logic of the charter movement.
Michael Friedman, Ph.D.
City University of New York
On Tue, Oct 19, 2010 at 7:03 AM,
<defend-educa...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
> Today's Topic Summary
>
> Group: http://groups.google.com/group/defend-education/topics
>
> ARTICLE: The next charter school war: Eva Moskowitz is ready to expand into
> a wealthier, whiter nabes [2 Updates]
>
> Topic: ARTICLE: The next charter school war: Eva Moskowitz is ready to
> expand into a wealthier, whiter nabes
>
> "FriendsOfMacombs.com" <fom...@gmail.com> Oct 18 07:30PM -0400 ^
>
> *FYI!*
>
> *I disagree with Mr. Errol's view on this matter but I thought it was an
> ipinion piece that should be shared with the larger audience for discussion
> and information..*
>
> *The next charter school war: Eva Moskowitz is ready to expand into a
> wealthier, whiter nabes*
> *By: Errol Louis*
> *NYDailyNews.com | *Sunday, October 17th 2010, 4:00 AM
> http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/10/17/2010-10-17_the_next_charter_school_war.html
>
> -----------------
>
> *The next charter school war: Eva Moskowitz is ready to expand into a
> wealthier, whiter nabes
> *Errol Louis
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