In this blog entry, my last, I will analyze an article published by Frankenberg and Lee of Harvard University in late 2003 titled “Charter Schools and Race: A Lost Opportunity for Integrated Education”. It was published in the Education Policy Analysis Archives peer-reviewed journal.
The study analyzed “racial composition and segregation of charter schools by state,” and it considered “the differences in segregation between non-charter public schools […] and charter schools, as well as segregation within the charter school sector.”
According to the article, school choice options typically arose as part of a desegregation policy or movement. For example, magnet schools were established to be specialized so that they would attract people from all races who were particularly interested in the specialization of the school. The idea of school choice as built into No Child Left Behind is “that the achievement of poor and minority students will improve if they have access to schools that have demonstrated higher levels of student performance. [NCLB] also assumes that parents will be able to make decisions about what education is best for their children, which will force schools to compete—and ultimately improve—to keep and/or attract students.”
Opponents to school choice, according to Frankenberg and Lee, “argue that competition among schools will only improve student achievement if all schools are able to compete and students are equally free to choose. Otherwise, those students who are left behind by those who choose or are chosen in more competitive environments will have even less resources with which to compete. Those opposed also suggest that choice systems can compromise the public good by educating students in isolation from others for their private good, often further stratifying students along racial and socioeconomic lines.”
Frankenberg and Lee compared the racial composition of charter schools to non-charter public schools. They looked at enrollment, among other factors. The results of the study are based on the larger picture versus local situational circumstances. Frankenberg and Lee found “that charter schools in most of these states enroll disproportionately high percentages of minority students, particularly African American students.” The states mentioned include those with charter school enrollment greater than 5000. They found that over half of the charter schools with this level of enrollment were found in cities. White students were typically segregated by predominantly white charter schools. They concluded that there is little effort by the charter schools to create a balance of races within the charter school setting.
What are the implications of this type of segregation for the students after graduation? This article was published in 2003; is there a greater effort to desegregate charter schools today?
Friday, August 14, 2009
Opinions on Schools Choice
On Tuesday, August 11, 2009, I had an appointment with Dr. Jillian Reese to discuss school choice, charter schools, and vouchers. Unfortunately, Dr. Reese was unable to attend our meeting. Therefore, I met with Dr. Robert Shouse, an Associate Professor of Education. Although his studies focused more on the theory of education versus actual facts and policy, he was still able to make me think about different issues surrounding school choice.
For this entry, I am going to present some facts about school choice including working definitions of vouchers. Following the snippet of facts, I am going to provide a short opinionated summary of my meeting with Dr. Shouse.
The Facts
School choice is a concept based on the idea that parents should be able to choose where their child goes to school rather than being forced into a school system for geographic reasons. The most common options for parents include charter schools, other public schools, private schools, vouchers, and homeschooling. Under this concept, parents can do several things: 1) keep their child in the geographically-assigned public school, 2) move their child to another public school, 3) send their child to a private institution, 4) put their child in a local charter school, 5) home school their child, or 6) receive compensation from the government in the form of a voucher to send their child to a private school.
The Opinions
Dr. Shouse commented that there is not a huge movement toward school choice because people lack “inertia.” Changing schools for one’s child is “not cost free.” It costs time and money to make the switch. However, he made the free-market argument that seems to be the central theme of the drive for school choice. “Parents will ultimately decide which school is best,” says Shouse. If parents have more freedom about school choice, they will theoretically send their child to the best school. However, remember that school choice could be a costly decision, especially if the school is an hour away. For example, students in Philadelphia who wish to attend the W. B. Saul Magnet School for the Agricultural Sciences sometimes have to travel for two hours undergoing three public transportation transfers in order to reach the school. Is this really practical?
Opponents of the voucher system claim upper to middle class parents are the ones who are taking advantage of the system, and these parents can usually afford private schools without compensation from the government via a voucher. Lower class parents face greater barriers to receiving vouchers. Dr. Shouse contends this. He says that he doubts there are many barriers for the lower class. If parents of lower class families want to send their child to a private institution, the vouchers should be available to compensate them if indeed a voucher system is in place.
Dr. Shouse said that about 60-70 percent of the factors that help students learn are outside the control of the school, and of the remaining 30-40 percent that are school-controlled, only about 20 percent are actually controlled. Therefore, he makes the claim that the parent knows the child best and can therefore send the child to a school that will best fit the child’s needs.
The main opposition to school choice seems to come from teacher unions, a thought proposed by Dr. Shouse. Are teacher unions afraid of competition from other schools? Are they threatened by school choice? I have not quite decided.
I would like to thank Dr. Shouse for taking the time to sit with me. In the next blog entry, I would like to pursue the question of segregation in charter and magnet schools.
For this entry, I am going to present some facts about school choice including working definitions of vouchers. Following the snippet of facts, I am going to provide a short opinionated summary of my meeting with Dr. Shouse.
The Facts
School choice is a concept based on the idea that parents should be able to choose where their child goes to school rather than being forced into a school system for geographic reasons. The most common options for parents include charter schools, other public schools, private schools, vouchers, and homeschooling. Under this concept, parents can do several things: 1) keep their child in the geographically-assigned public school, 2) move their child to another public school, 3) send their child to a private institution, 4) put their child in a local charter school, 5) home school their child, or 6) receive compensation from the government in the form of a voucher to send their child to a private school.
The Opinions
Dr. Shouse commented that there is not a huge movement toward school choice because people lack “inertia.” Changing schools for one’s child is “not cost free.” It costs time and money to make the switch. However, he made the free-market argument that seems to be the central theme of the drive for school choice. “Parents will ultimately decide which school is best,” says Shouse. If parents have more freedom about school choice, they will theoretically send their child to the best school. However, remember that school choice could be a costly decision, especially if the school is an hour away. For example, students in Philadelphia who wish to attend the W. B. Saul Magnet School for the Agricultural Sciences sometimes have to travel for two hours undergoing three public transportation transfers in order to reach the school. Is this really practical?
Opponents of the voucher system claim upper to middle class parents are the ones who are taking advantage of the system, and these parents can usually afford private schools without compensation from the government via a voucher. Lower class parents face greater barriers to receiving vouchers. Dr. Shouse contends this. He says that he doubts there are many barriers for the lower class. If parents of lower class families want to send their child to a private institution, the vouchers should be available to compensate them if indeed a voucher system is in place.
Dr. Shouse said that about 60-70 percent of the factors that help students learn are outside the control of the school, and of the remaining 30-40 percent that are school-controlled, only about 20 percent are actually controlled. Therefore, he makes the claim that the parent knows the child best and can therefore send the child to a school that will best fit the child’s needs.
The main opposition to school choice seems to come from teacher unions, a thought proposed by Dr. Shouse. Are teacher unions afraid of competition from other schools? Are they threatened by school choice? I have not quite decided.
I would like to thank Dr. Shouse for taking the time to sit with me. In the next blog entry, I would like to pursue the question of segregation in charter and magnet schools.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Local Charter Schools in State College
I could not acquire a tour or interview with anyone at a local charter school. The charter schools located in the State College area are Nittany Valley Charter School, Centre Learning Community Charter School, Wonderland Charter School, and Young Scholars of Central PA Charter School. In this entry, I would like to take a look at and compare Young Scholars and Centre Learning charter schools.
Young Scholars of Central PA Charter School
According to the Young Scholars website, “YSCPCS focuses on two student constituencies: those native speakers of American English who wish to engage a curriculum which fosters a global perspective and promotes appreciation and understanding of world regions, cultures, and global issues, and those whose native language is not American English, during their transition into the American educational system and culture.” The school produces students who are fluent in two languages in addition to English while also preparing students to be proficient in basic academic subjects. Students also reach proficiency in knowledge about other counties and cultures.
The school encourages daily communication among teachers, students, and parents in order to “prepare students for college and life-long learning.” Teachers are expected to be certified and to have all the expected clearances. They are expected to be “energetic, innovative, and progressive.”
Young Scholars provides curriculum in the following areas: language (French, Spanish, Turkish, and Chinese), technology, academic motivation and competition, personal social development, and math and science. Young Scholars believes in technology; they state on their website, “YSCP will use cutting edge technology in its unique educational program. At YSCP Charter School, technology is a key aspect of the curriculum. We want all of our students to not only be comfortable with technology, but to embrace it as an enhancement to their everyday lives.”
Centre Learning Community
CLC Charter School is a project-based school where technology is the leading force. “Project-based learning is the core of CLC's curriculum. CLC teachers design ‘real world’ projects that integrate a variety of knowledge and skills. A CLC project could integrate aspects of science, social studies, and math – as well as rely on technology, writing, and problem solving skills. This is a distinct departure from fragmented ‘subject areas’. Also, CLC projects are ‘real world’ projects. This means that the projects are not contrived, but simulate real world situations. As a result of these ‘real world’ projects, students perform because of an intrinsic desire to do so, not to avoid punishment or to gain awards.”
Technology is a very central theme at CLC. Each student has access to a laptop in school and at home in order to accomplish simple and complex computer technology operations. However, beyond technology, the environment of the classroom is unique. There is a 1:10 teacher to student ratio, and teachers often have the same students for more than one year. Teachers are typically expected to have a “love and respect for kids” and all clearances. There was no specific mention of certification requirements on the CLC website; however, every teacher employed by CLC has had some form of higher education beyond high school dealing with education, adolescent psychology, and/or curriculum. Some employees have Master’s and Doctorate degrees within the same types of academic arenas.
CLC is chartered by three of the local school districts: Bellefonte, State College, and Bald Eagle.
This entry attempted to show the similarities and differences of two Centre County charter schools by describing each school individually. Both seem to be innovative but have very different visions. However, both schools have a mission to benefit the positive growth of each child. The next blog entry will be a synopsis of my interview with Jillian Reese about school choice.
Young Scholars of Central PA Charter School
According to the Young Scholars website, “YSCPCS focuses on two student constituencies: those native speakers of American English who wish to engage a curriculum which fosters a global perspective and promotes appreciation and understanding of world regions, cultures, and global issues, and those whose native language is not American English, during their transition into the American educational system and culture.” The school produces students who are fluent in two languages in addition to English while also preparing students to be proficient in basic academic subjects. Students also reach proficiency in knowledge about other counties and cultures.
The school encourages daily communication among teachers, students, and parents in order to “prepare students for college and life-long learning.” Teachers are expected to be certified and to have all the expected clearances. They are expected to be “energetic, innovative, and progressive.”
Young Scholars provides curriculum in the following areas: language (French, Spanish, Turkish, and Chinese), technology, academic motivation and competition, personal social development, and math and science. Young Scholars believes in technology; they state on their website, “YSCP will use cutting edge technology in its unique educational program. At YSCP Charter School, technology is a key aspect of the curriculum. We want all of our students to not only be comfortable with technology, but to embrace it as an enhancement to their everyday lives.”
Centre Learning Community
CLC Charter School is a project-based school where technology is the leading force. “Project-based learning is the core of CLC's curriculum. CLC teachers design ‘real world’ projects that integrate a variety of knowledge and skills. A CLC project could integrate aspects of science, social studies, and math – as well as rely on technology, writing, and problem solving skills. This is a distinct departure from fragmented ‘subject areas’. Also, CLC projects are ‘real world’ projects. This means that the projects are not contrived, but simulate real world situations. As a result of these ‘real world’ projects, students perform because of an intrinsic desire to do so, not to avoid punishment or to gain awards.”
Technology is a very central theme at CLC. Each student has access to a laptop in school and at home in order to accomplish simple and complex computer technology operations. However, beyond technology, the environment of the classroom is unique. There is a 1:10 teacher to student ratio, and teachers often have the same students for more than one year. Teachers are typically expected to have a “love and respect for kids” and all clearances. There was no specific mention of certification requirements on the CLC website; however, every teacher employed by CLC has had some form of higher education beyond high school dealing with education, adolescent psychology, and/or curriculum. Some employees have Master’s and Doctorate degrees within the same types of academic arenas.
CLC is chartered by three of the local school districts: Bellefonte, State College, and Bald Eagle.
This entry attempted to show the similarities and differences of two Centre County charter schools by describing each school individually. Both seem to be innovative but have very different visions. However, both schools have a mission to benefit the positive growth of each child. The next blog entry will be a synopsis of my interview with Jillian Reese about school choice.
Friday, August 7, 2009
A Drain on Public Funds and Other Negative Aspects of Charter Schools
This blog entry will analyze the Charter Schools Siphon Public Funds article while also using other sources to highlight the negative aspects of charter schools.
In early 2008, the State College Area School District (SCASD) reported that it “will lose about $2.2 million on charter schools this year […]. And that number is expected to grow.” Dennis Younkin, the SCASD Business Administrator, uses the word “lose” to demonstrate what is happening when a student transfers from the public school to the charter school. According to Gowen Roper, a SCASD school board member, it is difficult to fill the “financial hole” left within the school district which is partially caused by the mandatory reimbursement of charter schools. Of the total $101 million budget, Younkin considers the $2.2 million (2.18%) a loss. There is some concurrence among charter school CEOs. The current suggestion is that there should be an individual fund stream directed toward charter schools instead of one flowing through the public school system.
Opponents of charter schools claim that they do not increase achievement. In August 2006, the Washington Post published an article that stated, “Fourth-graders in traditional public schools nationwide did somewhat better on average than those in charter schools in reading and mathematics in 2003, [...].” Based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test given in 2003, fourth-grade students at traditional schools scored 4.2 points higher in reading and 4.7 points higher in math than those fourth-grade students at charter schools. However, the test apparently does not account or adjust for the “lack of a random sample, different levels of parental support and different levels of learning before the students reached fourth grade.” Furthermore, several studies point out that “when researchers looked only at schools in cities with high minority populations, the difference in reading scores between the average traditional school and average charter school disappeared.” Other studies supported this conclusion when traditional and charter schools were compared in different localities.
According the RAND Corporation, “Opponents argue that charter schools lead to increased racial or ethnic stratification of students […].” However, it argues that “when the researchers looked at whether transfers to charter schools affected the distribution of students by race or ethnicity, they found that, in most sites, the racial composition of the charter school entered by a transferring student was similar to that of the traditional public school that he or she had left.”
Charter schools continue to be a topic of debate, but it seems like the strongest arguments for opponents deal primarily with cost draining from the public schools and with achievement comparisons. There are four charter schools in the State College Area School District: Young Scholars of Central PA Charter School, Nittany Valley Charter School, Centre Learning Community Charter School, and Wonderland Charter School. All schools are monitored by the SCASD, which is the governing body responsible for issuing licenses to each charter school in the district.
The next several blog entries will relate to school choice (based on an interview with Jillian Reese) and student schedules/curricula at the various charter schools in the SCASD.
In early 2008, the State College Area School District (SCASD) reported that it “will lose about $2.2 million on charter schools this year […]. And that number is expected to grow.” Dennis Younkin, the SCASD Business Administrator, uses the word “lose” to demonstrate what is happening when a student transfers from the public school to the charter school. According to Gowen Roper, a SCASD school board member, it is difficult to fill the “financial hole” left within the school district which is partially caused by the mandatory reimbursement of charter schools. Of the total $101 million budget, Younkin considers the $2.2 million (2.18%) a loss. There is some concurrence among charter school CEOs. The current suggestion is that there should be an individual fund stream directed toward charter schools instead of one flowing through the public school system.
Opponents of charter schools claim that they do not increase achievement. In August 2006, the Washington Post published an article that stated, “Fourth-graders in traditional public schools nationwide did somewhat better on average than those in charter schools in reading and mathematics in 2003, [...].” Based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test given in 2003, fourth-grade students at traditional schools scored 4.2 points higher in reading and 4.7 points higher in math than those fourth-grade students at charter schools. However, the test apparently does not account or adjust for the “lack of a random sample, different levels of parental support and different levels of learning before the students reached fourth grade.” Furthermore, several studies point out that “when researchers looked only at schools in cities with high minority populations, the difference in reading scores between the average traditional school and average charter school disappeared.” Other studies supported this conclusion when traditional and charter schools were compared in different localities.
According the RAND Corporation, “Opponents argue that charter schools lead to increased racial or ethnic stratification of students […].” However, it argues that “when the researchers looked at whether transfers to charter schools affected the distribution of students by race or ethnicity, they found that, in most sites, the racial composition of the charter school entered by a transferring student was similar to that of the traditional public school that he or she had left.”
Charter schools continue to be a topic of debate, but it seems like the strongest arguments for opponents deal primarily with cost draining from the public schools and with achievement comparisons. There are four charter schools in the State College Area School District: Young Scholars of Central PA Charter School, Nittany Valley Charter School, Centre Learning Community Charter School, and Wonderland Charter School. All schools are monitored by the SCASD, which is the governing body responsible for issuing licenses to each charter school in the district.
The next several blog entries will relate to school choice (based on an interview with Jillian Reese) and student schedules/curricula at the various charter schools in the SCASD.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Why Charter Schools: The Positive Aspects of Learning in This Environment
“According to a National Study of Charter Schools report, the three reasons most often cited for creating a public charter school include the realizing of an educational vision; gaining autonomy; and serving a special student population.” With the creation of these new institutions, benefits are clearly expected. Why separate from the typical public school system if there is not going to be any tangible or measurable increase in productivity, achievement, or satisfaction? This entry will attempt to explore the benefits, both theoretical and actual, of establishing a charter school.
The New Hampshire Department of Education cites several theoretical benefits for establishing charter schools. Charter schools typically offer small class sizes, which increases a student’s ability to form strong relationships with peers and teachers. These relationships aid in the overall educational experience and learning process. Many philosophies at these schools focus on “learning by doing” instead of learning through typical educational media (e.g., textbooks, theories, etc.). Teachers are often given more flexibility with how lessons are taught; teachers tend to be more experimental in their teaching strategies. This experimentation is referred to as the “'research & development' arm of public education” by the New Hampshire Department of Education.
According to Dr. Robert Needlman, former Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, charter schools offer the opportunity for self-paced learning; innovative, creative, or expressive styles of learning; and a focus on arts and sciences. Typically, charter schools hold individual students to higher standards of progress and achievement. Nathan Benefield, Director of Policy Research for the Commonwealth Foundation, reported to the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee stated that charter schools are not perfect, but they do provide many benefits for parents and students. One of the benefits he cited was school choice. If parents do not like the public school system, they have the option of moving their child to a charter school. Furthermore, if this charter school is still not suitable, the parents can move their child to a private school, another charter school, or back to the public school.
These are just a few examples of the benefits of charter schools. In the next entry, I will attempt to offer an alternate point of view by analyzing the Voices from Central PA article “Charter Schools Siphon Public Funds.”
The New Hampshire Department of Education cites several theoretical benefits for establishing charter schools. Charter schools typically offer small class sizes, which increases a student’s ability to form strong relationships with peers and teachers. These relationships aid in the overall educational experience and learning process. Many philosophies at these schools focus on “learning by doing” instead of learning through typical educational media (e.g., textbooks, theories, etc.). Teachers are often given more flexibility with how lessons are taught; teachers tend to be more experimental in their teaching strategies. This experimentation is referred to as the “'research & development' arm of public education” by the New Hampshire Department of Education.
According to Dr. Robert Needlman, former Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, charter schools offer the opportunity for self-paced learning; innovative, creative, or expressive styles of learning; and a focus on arts and sciences. Typically, charter schools hold individual students to higher standards of progress and achievement. Nathan Benefield, Director of Policy Research for the Commonwealth Foundation, reported to the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee stated that charter schools are not perfect, but they do provide many benefits for parents and students. One of the benefits he cited was school choice. If parents do not like the public school system, they have the option of moving their child to a charter school. Furthermore, if this charter school is still not suitable, the parents can move their child to a private school, another charter school, or back to the public school.
These are just a few examples of the benefits of charter schools. In the next entry, I will attempt to offer an alternate point of view by analyzing the Voices from Central PA article “Charter Schools Siphon Public Funds.”
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