Failing Charter Schools Must be Closed First - Why "Philly Schools Hit Their Own Fiscal Cliff"

[Kkennieth Heard]

From the Journal of the Working class Struggle on Google Groups

Failing Charter Schools Must be Closed First -    Why "Philly Schools Hit Their Own Fiscal Cliff"

This debate over school closings highlights the need for less school choice, not filling more seats in failing charter schools and protecting their theft of our tax dollars and abuse of our children out of sight of the public.

To Quote the Philadelphia School Notebook:

Three-fourths of Philadelphia’s charter school students graduate in four years.

The School District’s Office of Accountability now tracks four-year and six-year cohort graduation rates for students in the city’s charter schools. For the “class of 2011” – students who entered 9th grade in a Philadelphia charter school in fall 2007 – the four-year graduation rate was 75 percent. That exceeds the overall rate for District schools by 14 points, according to District data provided to the Notebook.

However, there are some marked differences in the population of charter high schools compared to District high schools, according to District data. In charters, 26 percent of students were from families that qualify for TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), compared to 37 percent in District schools. The percentage of special education students was 3 points lower in charter schools (14 percent vs. 17 percent), and the percentage of African American students was 4 points lower in charters (61 percent vs. 65 percent). Latino percentages were the same.
 

Four on line comments were submitted to the Philadelphia School Notebook criticizing the findings above:

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 03/28/2012 - 14:07.

Does this mean that the students actually attended all four years and graduated from the charter school that they started in? Or does it mean that they graduated from either their charter OR another school?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 03/28/2012 - 15:06.

While I know charters like to claim they are not kicking out students, I've received two students in the last month in one class who were kicked out of charters. Both have an IEP and are far below in their reading level. Who do these students count for / against?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 03/28/2012 - 17:38.

I just received a charter school student last week as well.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 08:52.

They need to do a study that shows how many students started in the Charter and how many finished. Basically, if they can kick kids out, of course their numbers will look better than traditional public schools. That being said, I

would like to see what programs they have available that bring students up to grade level.

The Pew Foundation found that their are a disproportionate number of students in the charters and

that is for a reason, not because the charters are better, but because the charters have had the criminal support through seizure of state funding and the busting of the school unions which were fighting for a smaller class size.

WHERE STUDENTS IN SEVEN CITIES WENT TO SCHOOL, 2007–2008 SCHOOL YEAR

City

Pittsburgh                             94%                              2%                          4%
Chicago                                85%                              5%                        10%
Baltimore                              84%                              6%                          9%
San Francisco                      76%                              4%                        20%
Philadelphia                          72%                            14%                       14%
Cleveland                              71%                             15%                       14%
Washington, D.C.                 66%                             25%                        9%

Philadelphia has a relatively low share of students in district-run schools and a relatively high share in charter and Catholic schools. Source: Philadelphia data taken from School District of Philadelphia, “Proposed Budget Fiscal Year 2010–2011 (July 1, 2010–June 30, 2011), Presentation to the School Reform Commission, April 21, 2010,” p. 12; Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Office of Research and Planning, Maps and Reports, Philadelphia North Vicariate, Philadelphia South Vicariate, Parish Cluster Reports, authors’ analysis; Pennsylvania Department of Education, Non-Public Enrollment by County, 2008–2009, authors’ analysis. Other cities’ district and charter data taken from National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), “Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey,” 2007–2008. Other cities’ Catholic enrollment data provided by local dioceses. Note: Students attending other private schools or being home-schooled are not included.

The charter schools are not doing a better job with less money per student. Actually the charters are getting School District services for free, from transportation to the use of buildings for free while not paying a dime for their use.

Students will not benefit from teacher layoffs. Why? Because the retained educators will be teachers with more tenure, experience and as a result, more skills in teaching, but with far larger class sizes and far less resources

in the classrooms.

Yes a real part of the problem is charter schools.

The teachers’ union and others state school closures will result in teacher layoffs. Teachers are told they will be needed to help with expanding classes in other schools, but the closures will not lower class sizes  so that  students can get more individualized help.

Over the past years there have been a number of schools closed and shuttered to sit without a result in mind of the political administration and school authorities other than to sell the buildings off to condo developers. Just as the Central Post Office became condos, so has the old School District Building on the Parkway.

If the the school system is at 67% capacity as the editorial in the Philadelphia Record states, then first close the under achieving charter schools and place a moratorium on new charter schools opening. In good management, the  out sourcing or charter school are in this case should  go first, then fill your seats in the basic areas of the system which are owned by the public. And of  course, stop closing the public school system.