Addendum
May 8, 2015Montclair Teacher Scheduled AP Review Session During PARCC Test; Parent Fights Back
May 12, 2015The Chutzpah of the Rutgers Anti-Charter Trio: “We’ll Tell You What’s Right for Your Kid”
Here are some of the data:
— There are 10,000 students on KIPP NJ waiting lists.
– In KIPP’s Newark schools, elementary and high schools equal or outperform the average for the state of New Jersey, even though the students are much poorer.
– They close the achievement gap and surpass national averages in reading and math by 8th grade.
– 88 percent receive free or reduced meals, a measure of poverty. In Newark district schools, it’s 85 percent.
– 92 percent are African American
– 95 percent of seniors went to college last year- When KIPP’s founding class of students finished fourth grade, they scored better in math than 70 percent of kids in the nation, and better in reading than 61 percent.
From a school board member’s perspective, one of the more interesting items was the regulatory flexibility within charters. Unbound by teacher tenure laws and state bidding procedures, the article describes how KIPP is able to spend far more of its per pupil money on classroom instruction.
Spark [a KIPP school] gets $17,000 per student from the state, and a typical district elementary school gets at least $18,000. Not a huge difference. But of that amount, Spark has significantly more money under the direct control of its principal, for teachers and other classroom costs: $14,000, as compared to the district’s $8,000.
The extra $6,000 helps pay for KIPP’s extra resources, like two teachers in a classroom, while the central district is paying for an overfed bureaucracy.
And,
To understand how charters benefit from less regulation, consider the infamous story about the air conditioners at George Washington Carver, one of the lowest-performing schools in the district, which shared a building with a KIPP charter school, Spark.
When Spark ordered units for its classrooms, it caused some resentment downstairs, so KIPP’s board chipped in to buy them for Carver, too. Yet while KIPP paid $400 apiece to buy and install its own units, it had to pay more than $700 for the district’s, not including installation, and they took an entire year to put in.
O’Connor contacted Rutgers professor Julia Sass Rubin, founder of Princeton-based Save Our Schools-NJ. (Suddenly Rutgers is the hotbed of anti-charter activism. What’s up with that?) Anyway, SOS has been lobbying hard for a charter moratorium bill sponsored by Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan.
Julia Sass Rubin, founder of the activist group Save Our Schools, argues district schools shouldn’t ever be shut down or replaced, no matter how bad their test scores may be. She says she can’t imagine the state closing schools in places like Princeton or Montclair, so it shouldn’t happen in Newark or Camden, either.
“Who gets to decide that it’s ok to override the local community because we think their schools are not good?” she said. “I don’t think it’s clear what a good school is. Low-income students generally don’t score well on standardized tests. Neighborhood schools provide stability; they have teachers who are there for many years. I would never presume to tell a parent, ‘You don’t know what’s right for your kid.'”
The irony is that Rubin’s group is pushing for new restrictions on expanding or opening charter schools, a move that would deny options to the thousands on waiting lists.
A reader commented,
Julia Sass Rubin, founder of the activist group Save Our Schools, argues district schools shouldn’t ever be shut down or replaced, no matter how bad their test scores may be.–article
Perhaps Ms.Rubin should be “forced” to send her child to one of “those schools” no matter how bad they may be
Who gets to decide that it’s ok to override the local community because we think their schools are not good?”—Rubin
Answer: Parents decide whether a particular school or district does not,can not,or will not be suitable for their children’s “education”. Evidently some in the “local community” who would never presume to tell a parent “You don’t know whats right for your kid” make that decision
I would never presume to tell a parent, ‘You don’t know what’s right for your kid.'” –Rubin
However this person would use force [law] to restrict parents ability to exercise choice in their children’s education.
2 Comments
You're the one showing chutzpah, Laura. To describe Bruce Baker as 'railing' against Ms. O'Connor's editorial in a 'fierce' manner is ridiculous. Did you bother to read the skein of emails between Baker and O'Connor you cited in your post?
To my eyes, Dr. Baker comes off as a patient and thorough—if somewhat exasperated—professional attempting to explain a moderately complex issue to a less-focused generalist who sees it as just another topic to be mastered quickly before moving on.
You can dump on him if you like, Laura, but get ready to see Prof. Baker as an expert witness in court at upcoming tenure revocation hearings.
We'll see who's strutting then.
Laura,
“SOS has been lobbying hard for a charter moratorium bill sponsored by Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan.”
Do you have even a tiny bit of proof to support this statement?
Princeton lobbyists? I thought I was part of the Rutgers trio? Which is it, Laura?
And if you believe parents should have choices, why are you opposed to local votes on new charter schools? Why are you supportive of forcibly closing public schools against community wishes? Why are you supportive of forced district school conversions to charters? Shouldn't all the district public school parents have choices too?
Or do you only support choices for the chosen?