"...That leads me to the fourth part of America’s education strategy – promoting innovation and excellence in America’s schools. One of the places where much of that innovation occurs is in our most effective charter schools... Right now, there are caps on how many charter schools are allowed in some states, no matter how well they are preparing our students. That isn’t good for our children, our economy, or our country. Of course, any expansion of charter schools must not result in the spread of mediocrity, but in the advancement of excellence. That will require states adopting both a rigorous selection and review process to ensure that a charter school’s autonomy is coupled with greater accountability – as well as a strategy, like the one in Chicago, to close charter schools that are not working. Provided this greater accountability, I call on states to reform their charter rules, and lift caps on the number of allowable charter schools, wherever such caps are in place."
President Barack Obama
March 10, 2009
March 10, 2009
Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia have some type of limit, or cap, on charter school growth. Most caps restrict the number of charter schools allowed, while others restrict the number of students that a single school can serve.
Caps on charter schools are often the consequence of political trade-offs, and not the result of agreement on sound education policy. For example, frequently policy-makers, concerned about how charter schools may affect an established school district, will mandate restrictions on the number of public charter schools in that specific district.
But the demand for charter schools shows no signs of letting up. An estimated 365,000 students are on charter school wait lists. This is enough to fill over 1,100 new average-sized charter schools. More than half of all charter schools across the country report they have a wait list, with the problem particularly acute in Pennsylvania (27,000), Colorado (25,000), Massachusetts (16,000), New York (12,000), New Mexico (10,000), and Illinois (10,000). If this demand is to be met, states must reform or eliminate their caps on charter schools, while continuing to utilize appropriate measures ensuring that new charter schools are of high quality.
Caps on charter schools are often the consequence of political trade-offs, and not the result of agreement on sound education policy. For example, frequently policy-makers, concerned about how charter schools may affect an established school district, will mandate restrictions on the number of public charter schools in that specific district.
But the demand for charter schools shows no signs of letting up. An estimated 365,000 students are on charter school wait lists. This is enough to fill over 1,100 new average-sized charter schools. More than half of all charter schools across the country report they have a wait list, with the problem particularly acute in Pennsylvania (27,000), Colorado (25,000), Massachusetts (16,000), New York (12,000), New Mexico (10,000), and Illinois (10,000). If this demand is to be met, states must reform or eliminate their caps on charter schools, while continuing to utilize appropriate measures ensuring that new charter schools are of high quality.
Unfortunately, New Mexico has chosen to go a different direction. On Friday, January 21, 2011, Representative Mimi Stewart introduced House Bill 120. This bill specifically reads, “a chartering authority shall not accept an application for a new charter school or approve a new charter school between January 1, 2011 and January 1, 2017.”
If enacted, this bill will eliminate school choice in New Mexico. The bill has been supported by the New Mexico School Boards Association, New Mexico Administrators Association, the Legislative Education Study Committee (co-chaired by Representative Rick Miera and Senator Cynthia Nava), and the Board of Education for the Albuquerque Public Schools.
This is incredibly frustrating! Charter schools are not the problem - they are the solution to receiving a good education in this state!
ReplyDeleteParents are ultimately accountable for their children's education. They should have the right to choose which school their children attend...whether traditional public, charter, private, online, homeschool...
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that Representative Stewart would introduce this bill during the first ever National School Choice week.
What is Representative Mimi Stewart thinking? How is this going to help the education of our students? Not all kids do well in a traditional setting. If APS is doing so well why are their schools not making AYP?
ReplyDelete"Asking families and children to put up with mediocre schools is almost criminal. It is just that simple. Keeping the families of our poor and minority kids shackled to dropout factories and failure mills should most certainly be against the law. When defenders of the status quo say that families should not have a wide array of educational options available — be they traditional districts, public charters, private and parochial schools, or even online learning — they are essentially arguing that there should be no civil right to a high quality education. That argument is absolutely wrong on every moral and intellectual level...If defenders of the status quo truly want every child to receive a high-quality education, they need to abandon their opposition to school choice." Dropout Nation, Dec. 2010
ReplyDeleteRead the entire article at: http://dropoutnation.net/2010/12/03/education-civil-right-includes-forms-school-choice/
This is what we should be doing not trying to stop schools that are out perform their counterpart. If a big school districts like APS were doing their job there would be no need for charter schools, but the fact of the matter is they have only achieved mediocrity. Why is no one holding them responsible for their actions? Why are those APS schools that don’t make AYP not being shut down, or be held to the same expectations that charter schools are be held to.
ReplyDeleteChange... Probably one of the most powerful words in the English language. It evokes hope in some people, who are looking for another option since what they are doing now doesn't seem to work. It elicits fear in others, who are happy with the way things stand, and oppose anything that can disrupt "their" utopia. Change is a necessary thing. It helps to keep things fresh and challenges us as a people to be free thinkers and not sheep. The shortsightedness of Charter School caps is the experiential response of an entrenched group of individuals who believe their system is the only way. Charter schools not only represent change, they represent positive change for those whose needs cannot be met by the system. Hopefully, with enough of a community response to our representatives, we can let them know that HB 120 represents stagnation, and not the path to growth that this state so desperately needs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Upper V. Keeping "their utopia" at the expense of New Mexico's children is wrong. HB 120 will only keep our students down when we need to be helping them (as President Obama says) "race to the top."
ReplyDeleteIt has always been in the past that you went to a public school or you could afford to go to a private school. Don't believe that home schooling your child is an option as you can't get any smarter than the parent, thus we go backwards with education; but taking away the public "Charter" option because someone can't see beyond . . . .
ReplyDeleteTo L. French: I don't think you have a very valid argument against home schooling. Of course if the parent were passing on their knowledge alone, I could see how it would be going backwards, but it's the same with teachers in any school. If a solid education were dependent completely on the teacher's knowledge, we'd go backwards as well. Of course we want the next generation to be smarter than the current, but we depend on tools such as technology, research,curriculum, etc to get to that point. If home school is a viable option, the parent must be dedicated, as teachers, administration, parents, and the community must be dedicated in the public and private options.
ReplyDeleteBack on topic...I think we must allow all options for school choice. It's a basic freedom and right to choose the best education for our children. For some, that may be the traditional system, but not all students fit into that box. Charter schools fill different needs that the traditional setting would not meet for every student. I think when you create options for families, everyone is much happier and much more successful.
This bill seems to me to be a fear of charter schools proving that APS is failing to educate today's youth. Why they are spending all this energy holding back schools that are trying to produce educated students. They should be more concerned about the fact that they are handing diplomas to 17 year old children with a 3rd grade reading level. Having attended and graduated a charter school. My experience was that there one goal in my five years was to ensure my ability to be successful in life. Something that APS has lost sight of as a responsibility. This bill is absurd and wrong. It makes me fear for the future of our youth they deserve the best.I truly hope that these higher ups of the educational system can see the true value of what charter schools are trying to reinstall into education.
ReplyDeleteEmbracing change is not a compliment to those who must need to embrace change. It should be the opportunity to rise to the occasion.
ReplyDeleteI challenge the Board of Education, APS and the anti-charter supporters to start investigating what works and to establish these methods in way that benefits all children.
While our country has so many educational problems, I am amazed how so many people will choose to make the same mistake over and over again.
Big Business in our country would never tolerate or survive on such standards. Why would we let our children be educated in that environment?