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North star
Kudos to Hamline University doctoral candidate Don Allen for his even-handed op-ed published in the Minneapolis Times last week. In it he discusses the findings of a new report on the impacts of charter schools on local districts. Specifically, he cites the importance of nuanced understanding of data and of situating such research findings in the real world. Charters have been popular in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, increasing in enrollment while district schools have simultaneously lost students. But it is important, Allen says, “to recognize that the appeal of charter schools does not imply universal effectiveness.” Many charters have closed due to academic, financial, and organizational challenges, he acknowledges, although district schools experiencing the same difficulties have remained open. Both sets of problems should be dealt with, he writes, with the same goal in mind: Improving education options. Employing a double standard does nothing to support students and “undermines the credibility of many arguments opposing charter schools.” Check out this great analysis, and read the full research report here.
Win some, lose some – Rochester edition
The City Council of Rochester, New York, apparently has control of numerous long-shuttered district properties. (The Flower City is not immune to either the long-gestating student enrollment losses experienced by other city districts or the burgeoning of charter schools, as discussed above.) This week, city council voted to lease one of those closed district buildings to a charter school operator, with one member saying that a No vote would harm students and families of the popular Rochester Academy of Science, which was in need of additional space. “You are voting to make their lives, their educational journey, that much more difficult every day.” Unfortunately, the same sentiment did not apply the next day when another growing charter school tried to purchase a different closed building. Councilmembers voting No on this request cited their desire to turn the building in question into much-needed housing for the community instead…despite the fact that no developer has been or is planning to do so for the foreseeable future.
Charter flexibility – international style
Leaders of Fort Smith (AR) Public Schools are planning to launch a new charter school designed to serve children of military families relocating to the area in 2027. This includes the families of 900 pilots and support personnel from the Republic of Singapore’s Air Force, who will be training at the nearby Air National Guard base. The idea of the proposed Global Innovation Academy is to closely mirror the educational system of Singapore so that students experience as little disruption to their education as possible during their families’ deployment in Arkansas. “When students that are here for a year or two with us go back to Singapore,” said Fort Smith superintendent Martin Mahan, “their high-stakes tests include Singapore math and Mandarin. So we are trying to fill in the gaps of learning that they might experience as a military family.” But this is a benefit for U.S. students as well, he says, because “Singapore math is probably more concentrated on specific standards that are probably a little bit more advanced” than American standards. The new school, open to all interested families per state requirements, will also “enhance the opportunities for our own students, K-5, to really have a foundation in a foreign language, which I think is phenomenal.” Hopefully they’ll all be able to say “win-win-win” in Mandarin when they’re done.
Baseline data for the future
While we have focused on Indianapolis’ future lately—closely following the introduction of a new education model designed to be student-centric and to support those attending district, charter, and private schools alike—it is also important to understand the recent history of education there as well. Here’s a look at new research comparing student outcomes for district and charter school students across the Hoosier State, focusing on post-Covid recovery efforts. “Indiana’s charter school students have experienced greater academic growth in the years following the pandemic than their peers in traditional public schools,” says Chalkbeat reporter Amelia Pak-Harvey. “The study…also found that the gains were particularly pronounced for Black and Hispanic students, and for those who were among the lowest-performing and economically disadvantaged.” The new working paper can be found here.
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