Vol. 4, No. 10
March 12, 2002

CHARTERS:

* DELAWARE's Georgetown Charter School, a school that had to fight just to come into existence, now faces a battle for its future. The state Education Department is threatening to close the school immediately because of financial issues that the school faces over the rest of the school year, many of which were caused by the Education Department to begin with. The school's troubles began with underestimating the amount of capital it would take to bring its buildings into regulatory compliance. The state agreed to allow them to borrow money to cover payroll, never telling them that it would be held against them. In December, when Georgetown went before the state to request to expand to grade 7, they were informed that they needed to secure a permanent site. After doing so, the state declared the school in financial distress. Georgetown Charter has proven to be highly effective for children, many of whom came into 6th grade reading at a 3rd grade level, but in seven months advanced nearly 2 levels. State testing, which is scheduled for this week, could show just how far the students have come. Hundreds of parents and students have turned out to protest. In order to delay state action, parents organized a yard sale over the weekend that made $25,000. Calls are also being made to local business leaders, urging them to sponsor a Georgetown student through the end of the year. Federal lawmakers are also concerned. CER hopes that the state's action is merely bad judgement and not an attempt to protect local area schools from competition.

If you want to help this school please let us know by calling (202) 822-9000 or emailing us at cer@edreform.com.

* In FLORIDA, last Tuesday, the Escambia County School Board voted to turn the embattled A.A. Dixon Elementary School into the Dixon Comprehensive Elementary Charter School. A. A. Dixon was one of the two schools in the Pensacola area that received a second "F" allowing students to become eligible to use Opportunity Scholarships under the Florida A+ Plan. After the School Board began the closure process, a group of community leaders came together and asked the Board for time to present a charter school application. The community support apparently swayed the Board and we are happy to report that the school will reopen as a charter in the fall. Congratulations on taking lemons and making community lemonade.

* CALIFORNIA charter schools are proving more effective in improving academic achievement for low income and at-risk students than their non-charter public school counterparts. So says a new study from California State University, Los Angeles. The study looked at how charter and non-charter public schools do when serving high numbers of children coming from poor socio-economic backgrounds. In schools with at least 50 percent of its students in the Free and Reduced Lunch Program, charter school students' scores improved at a rate of 22 percent vs. 19 percent for non-charter public schools. In schools with 75 percent Free and Reduced Lunch participation, charter school students' scores improve to 28 percent, four percentage points better than non-charter schools. The study also discounts such factors as length of school day, type of instruction and how long a school has been opened as factors in student achievement. This study joins a growing number of charter school studies. Of 65 studies CER has reviewed, 61 show positive effects of charter schools. For more, go to ACHIEVEMENT GAINS FOUND AT CALIFORNIA CHARTER SCHOOLS; Disadvantaged children benefit more from charter schools, March 11, 2002.

* The people of TENNESSEE have been fighting for charter school legislation well over 3 years. Charter school activists have been working harder than ever to bring charter schools to the children who need them most. Despite the support of several reform-minded legislators who have the children's best interest at heart, the same obstacle stands in their way: the union. But if the activists and legislators depend on facts, not myths, they will get the law they so badly need. A study committee has heard testimony, and it will soon give its recommendation on whether the bill should move forward. Commissioner Faye Taylor and the state Department of Education are working on draft legislation. She has proven to be a strong reformer, and many are hopeful her recommendations will center on key elements that make for a strong law.

THE TEST REVOLT

Though we've yet to see assessment tests violently deposed, there are definite revolts bubbling in at least two states.

* In MARYLAND, where publication of last year's Maryland State Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) exam results was put off for several months while the state scrutinized their scoring, the rebels seem to be winning. Last week, following many weeks of hearing cries to abandon the test, State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick overjoyed local school districts when she announced that they would be allowed to opt out of this spring's eighth grade MSPAP tests. However, there may be a rub. Under federal guidelines, that eighth grade test may be necessary to quality for federal funds.

* In NEW YORK rebellion has been fomenting for quite some time, touched off last year by a mother's boycott of the state's eighth-grade reading assessment. Last week the uprising spread. According to the New York Times several students in two New York City schools - The School of the Future and the Institute for Collaborative Education - came to school armed with letters from their parents permitting them to skip this year's test.

What do the rebels think is wrong with the test? Alternative schools like School of the Future and ICE say they cannot prepare for the tests and still use their in-depth project curriculum. As ICE eighth grader Claire Kazar pointed out, "'There's no way you can memorize all the facts of life." Some adults apparently think that if that's the case, then it's not even worth trying.

And they're making some progress: Though the Empire State Board of Regents has not agreed to abandon its assessment program, it has agreed to go to the bargaining table to discuss the testing concerns of county superintendents, parents, and teachers.

And it's not just students and parents in New York City who want to avoid proficiency tests. It's also teachers.

The New York Post reported that over 13,000 city public school teachers piled into Madison Square Garden a couple weeks ago to take the Liberal Arts and Science Test (LAST) needed for certification. To see some of the test-takers' complaints, you'd think you were reading a student's words:

"Nellie Velez, a teacher at PS 126 in the Bronx, who took the LAST for the second time, said, 'The exam does not prove the quality of the teacher. It doesn't show if someone can control a class. I think I'm a good teacher . . . I'm a bad exam taker.'"

"Bronx bilingual education teacher Manuela Imbert said she failed the Liberal Arts exam twice before". . . "'It's too long. It's dreadful. After 15 questions, I was getting dizzy.'"

It seems likely that many of these teachers go to the school nurse about once a period, and not because they really feel sick.

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