Hosted by The Center for
Education Reform
Hosted by The Center for
Education Reform
MASSACHUSETTS PROVING SYSTEM CAN BE SUCCESSFUL
By Linda Brown
Dayton Daily News, February 16, 1998
James Q. Wilson, a scholar of American government, explains that elected officials and central administrators manage our public schools by keeping "principals weak and teachers filling out reports, all with an eye toward minimizing complaints from parents, auditors, interest groups and the press."
Sounds like a recipe for failure.
Charter schools, on the other hand, are managed by people who know the name and face of every kid in their building. The leaders of these schools are judged not by how well they follow rules, but by how well and how much their students learn. Educators, not politicians or bureaucrats, are in charge.
Will Ohio have charter or "community" schools?
Those weighing that possibility may want to know how charters are working elsewhere. I can testify to the experience of one state.
Charter school students in Massachusetts are thriving.
More than 80 percent of our charter schools have a longer school day than the six-hour, 10-minute norm in conventional public schools. One additional hour of instructional time per day over the course of the school year adds the equivalent of 30 more days of school.
Plus, most charter school students spend more time each year in school. More than 50 percent of our charter schools exceed the standard 180-day school calendar. More than 70 percent of Massachusetts charter schools also provide students with before- and after-school programs.
The array of innovative programming and educational options among our 25 charter schools is spectacular. Parents, teachers and students can choose among schools focused on classical academics, character development, interdisciplinary learning, bilingual instruction and cross-cultural experiences, among others.
Not only is there diversity among charter schools, there is also diversity within charter schools. We are now in the third year of our charter school movement, and it is clear that these new schools are as diverse as any other public schools in Massachusetts, and more diverse than most.
The tremendous statewide interest in charter schools gives hope for fundamental change in all of our public schools. Charter schools are driven by mission, not by regulations. They receive authority from the state to operate independently of local districts. Charter schools give educators at the grassroots level the chance to create self-governing public schools that work.
Charter schools labor under the simplest accountability standard in public education: Do a good job or close. All public schools could be managed this way.
But as my colleagues in Massachusetts can tell you, starting a charter school is not for the faint of heart. Acquiring decent facilities, securing adequate funding, fighting entrenched habits and finding strong leaders can overwhelm even those with the best intentions.
A Massachusetts charter school director recently explained his job description: "I'm the headmaster, project director, custodian of the school. I also do food services, transportation. I'm the secretary. And the teachers teacher."
Starting a new school that must show solid results is no easy task. It takes dedication, vision and endurance. But when those school doors open and the kids start learning, when your dream school becomes a reality, you know that it has been worth the fight.
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Linda Brown is the director of the Massachusetts Charter School Resource Center at the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research in Boston. She will be a panelist at the charter school workshop Saturday at Sinclair Community College.