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Research into authorizer practices
The Fordham Institute released a new report this week, looking at the authorizing work of the State Board of Education in North Carolina between 2012 and 2019, focusing on several outcomes based on how many charter reviewers approved the proposed schools. Researchers find, among other things, that schools that more reviewers voted to approve were more likely to open their doors on time but no more likely to meet their enrollment targets than their lower-approval peers. Those schools also performed slightly better in math (but not in reading). The bottom line: Overall, the results suggest that authorizers can distinguish between stronger and weaker applicants–even if they don’t have an infallible picture of how schools will ultimately perform. On the Education Gadfly Show podcast this week, one of the report authors and a North Carolina charter school leader joined hosts Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the findings.
The view from Nevada
Former Nevada legislator Pat Hickey penned an op-ed in the Reno Gazette-Journal this week, praising the work of Mater Academy and encouraging charter school detractors to understand its value and importance. It is the county’s second-highest-performing Title I school, which Hickey argues makes it worthy of support on its own. However, he also points out that “they are all our kids”, and they are worthy of community support, whether they attend traditional district or charter schools.
The view from Florida’s Gulf Coast
A local news series aiming to expose viewers to “What’s Right with Tampa Bay” covers the awesomeness of Idea Hope Prep Charter School. The middle school is laser focused on college preparation for its students, including rigorous academics as well as immersion in the college-going mindset. Eighth grader James Leysath says he is inspired by seeing the many college pennants on the walls of his school every day. But more important are his teachers and school leaders: “They push us to be our best, and they never give up on us no matter what.”
The view from Florida’s Atlantic Coast
Meanwhile, on Florida’s other coast, Broward County School District officials have been accused of “knowingly and willfully” withholding local tax revenue from charter schools between 2018 and 2022, as state law required at the time, to the tune of $90 million. There is an ongoing dispute as to the proper interpretation of the 2018 legislation, but state Education Commissioner Manny Diaz has threatened to impose sanctions on the district immediately if they don’t come up with a plan by April 17 to pay out the money he says they owe.
More bad news from Colorado
Fordham’s Senior Visiting Fellow Dale Chu this week discussed what he termed a “grotesque” and “noxious” piece of legislation recently introduced in Colorado which he says is aimed at dismantling the state’s charter school sector entirely. The bill’s numerous “accountability” provisions would, if enacted, “stifle the creation of new charter schools, smother the prospects for renewal of existing schools, and sabotage the systems that have helped them flourish over the last thirty years.” He feels that it ultimately will not pass, but the fight along the way could be a tough one for charter advocates.
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