Letters: Charter school letter disputed

The accusation that autonomy and accountability cannot successfully coexist within the charter school system was made this week by an Advocate reader, who propagated the erroneous notions that there are no consequences for failing charter schools and that classroom teachers of the highest quality are not valued.

This is simply untrue.

The writer of the letter has clearly not properly researched either the laws and rules governing charter schools, or the anecdotal examples of how the flexibility provided through the charter school system has allowed for a more effective means of rewarding high-impact teachers, and swiftly handling situations in which schools are not operating to the best of their abilities.

Charter schools are governed by a nonprofit board that must comply with open meeting laws, providing a forum for parents and community members to discuss the schools’ operations. As such, charter schools provide opportunities for direct community involvement and parental input, enabling the schools to make quick, effective changes to meet students’ specific needs, which helps improve student achievement.

Additionally, when schools are no longer meeting the high standards by which they are governed, direct steps can by promptly enacted to adjust the overarching trajectory of the school — including revocation or closure of the charter. This is in contrast to the slow, plodding and red-tape-covered hoops through which administrators must jump to close a failing school in the bureaucratic traditional system.

What’s more, teachers who come from a variety of schooling backgrounds — alternative certification programs, traditional education colleges and beyond — all have proven the ability to lead classrooms and have a dramatically positive impact on student achievement. The flexibility afforded to charter schools ensures that having the highest quality educators possible for all students remains the top priority, regardless of the means by which they received their teacher training.

No doubt, charter schools are innovative, and for many the change and progress embodied through this movement appears to be a type of high-risk experimentation. The numbers don’t lie, though, and the successes—both academically and administratively — seen through the rise in the number of charter schools proves that this profound, new way of structuring education is having a dramatic, positive impact on students who need it most.

Sarah Baird

communications director,

Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools

New Orleans

Comments

1) Comment by joey.esposito - 07/10/2012

Many times a student would stop attending class, calls home were met with a disconnected number, physical visits were to an empty house, the required certified letter was returned with no forwarding address provided. In some cases, several weeks later the main office would receive a fax from a school in another state or perhaps another parish, requesting grades for that student. The parents or guardians were not real concerned with "official procedures." Our students who were expelled attended class in a separate building on our campus, with a separate faculty and different hours than the main student body. We enforced the 10 unexcused absences "law" by following the process set forth by District Attorney Moore. Moreover, we called home each time a student was absent 3 consecutive days. Our students and their families overcome challenges daily just to attend school. Some attend simply to eat twice a day consistently, learning is lagniappe. Spend a day in these schools, you'll laugh, cry, grow angry and leave exhausted, and see lives transformed, both students and teachers. These children and their families deserve the same environment to grow up in and attend school as those in "70810."

2) Comment by conglo - 07/03/2012

Go to this web site to see what Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools provides. There are employment Opportunities. Read how much money is involved in these charter schools. http://lacharterschools.org/job-board.html?task=view&id=208 Employment Opportunities Chief Operations Officer Job Type Full-time Job Status Accepting Applications Date Posted June 25, 2012 Location New Orleans Duration School/Organization Information New Schools for New Orleans 200 Broadway Street, Suite 108 New Orleans, LA 70115 Website: http://newschoolsforneworleans.org/ RESULTS OF NSNO PROGRAMMING AND INVESTMENTS TO DATE •$33.6 million I3 grant awarded that aligns government actors and school operators around annually turning around bottom 5% of schools in New Orleans •35% of open-enrollment charter schools funded by NSNO that serve more than 15,000 students •174 leaders and teacher leaders developed by NSNO-invested training programs to serve more than 12,000 students •600 teachers recruited to serve in 85% of open-enrollment public charter schools •Student achievement at 100% of open enrollment charter schools impacted by NSNO-invested support organizations Joey, you are saying that your students vanished? Were they exspelled or just vanished? Did you contact officals?

3) Comment by joey.esposito - 07/03/2012

Regarding spqr's comment, the Baton Rouge charter school in which I taught removed 0 students prior to testing. In fact, we did everything we could to locate our students who had vanished so they would be present during testing week. We also welcomed many students throughout the school year who had been expelled from the "mainstream public school" they had attended for part of the year. Moreover, many of our students who completed the tests at our school and scored basic or above on the state tests won't positively impact our school performance school since they enrolled after the "cut-off" date. Their scores, like those of the "worst students" you claim are "removed just weeks prior to standardized testing to insure higher scores" are credited to the school in which they were enrolled at the "cut-off date" as determined by the Louisiana Department of Education regardless of where the test is administered.

4) Comment by spqr - 07/03/2012

Why do charter schools in Baton Rouge remove their worst students just weeks prior to standardized testing to insure higher scores? Those fine students are forced to return to mainstream public school who inherent their poor testing even though they have been with the new school just days. Sell this garbage to someone else,Sarah.

5) Comment by [e-mail] - 07/03/2012

Who pays for this "communications director"?

6) Comment by conglo - 07/03/2012

No one elects the board. It is appointed! Caroline Roemer Shirley is the Executive Director of Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, a non-profit to help set up charter schools. Ms. Shirley's brother is Chas Roemer, on the BESE board, Buddy Roemer is their father. Maybe they should be a disclaimer at the end of the Letter to the Editor.

7) Comment by lovemykids - 07/03/2012

Jindal and his accessories say NO regulations are best. That has been proven true over the last century. FALSE

8) Comment by Bighug - 07/03/2012

Who elects the members of this board, and who does the board answer to? Sounds like it is just a group selected by the charter schools. That is like saying a corporation is being run well because it has to answer to its board of directors. Charter school students do well because they are a skewed population. If anyone who wished could attend, as in public schools, charter schools wouldn't look so good.