Regular Public Schools Versus Public Charter Schools. Who Benefits from HB 6622!

[N'Zinga Shani]

Overall, do all public charter schools in CT perform better than district public schools? Let Us Examine the FACTS!  Look at the rankings by grades.

What is the real purpose of HB 6622? Who will benefit and in what ways?

This now common practice of making exaggerated claims of across-the-board academic success about charters versus in district public schools are detrimental on many levels. It is dividing the community; it is confusing parents; it is trying to hog limited resources rather than share them fairly.  Most importantly – it is FALSE!  There are some excellent charter schools; there are some excellent district public schools.

Not all public charter schools in CT are high performing schools.  This goes to the fact that for schools-- that have a disproportionately high number of students from disenfranchised households-- to be successful, it takes time, adequate resources, and highly skilled and committed teachers and topnotch administrators. 

The statement listed below by ConnCAN seems to imply that all public charter schools in CT are higher performing than the district public schools.  That is not true.  In fact, in New Haven and in Bridgeport where we have an abundance of problems, there are also many schools where a significant number of students are doing well and are out-performing some of the charter schools.  We invite you to review the 7^th & 8^th Grade 2011-2012 statewide ranking of 266 CT schools linked below.  The highest ranking 7^th & 8^th grade scores in New Haven Public Schools were attained at Worthington Hooker School, ranked #22. 

7th, 8th Grades Combined CMT Mathematics & CMT Reading - 2011-2012 Ranking in Connecticut http://www.schooldigger.com/go/CT/schoolrank.aspx?level=2

There are excellent charter schools in which there are students who are not thriving academically.  That is a reality.  Public schools do not have the luxury of shipping out poor performers. Many public schools are dealing with a higher percentage of students who need a broader range of social and psychological services than are found in and provided by some of the charter schools. Of course, more needs to be done to help all students to succeed. There is no honor in exploiting a situation in which we, as citizens of CT, are all invested. There is no honor in pitting parents against each other or in exploiting insecurities. The scores of all public schools should be included in the figures reported for public schools be they charter or district schools.

• Growing high-performing public schools of choice: Public charter schools in Connecticut are high-performing and in high-demand from parents and kids alike. The Education Committee approved HB 6622 on March 23. This bill extends a program that gives districts the ability to partner with charter schools by providing facilities and other services in exchange for including student performance data in their accountability reports. 

http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=6622&which_year=2013&SUBMIT1....  (Details of HB 6622 can be found here)  Why is this a good thing for the public district schools to do? While all public schools should do whatever it takes to provide the greatest and most beneficial resources for students, the manner in which this HB6622 is written, it seems as if the district public schools will benefit.  Exactly from what and in what ways? How many public schools are there versus how many charter schools? There seems to be something wrong with the calculations, and maybe with the motivation.

 CT Elementary Rankings found here http://www.schooldigger.com/go/CT/schoolrank.aspx

http://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/MI_report_2012_FINAL_1_11_2013_no_wa... (Michigan report)

http://www.edreform.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/StateOfCharterSc...

FACT-CHECKING CHARTER SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT

Why some are saying only 1 in 5 charter schools perform, and why it’s wrong

http://www.edreform.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/No_More_Waiting_...