Last week the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research released a scathing report on charter schools in our state. The report is not surprising. While this group might be non-partisan, it is NOT non-ideological. This organization has never been favorable to offering educational options to families other than the traditional status quo.
Since the original charter school legislation in 1996, numerous bills have been introduced to either raise or remove the cap of 100, but to no avail. However, this year the issue is gaining support; therefore, the motive for a biased report against charters. According to the authors, there are four weaknesses that need attention before the General Assembly should raise the charter-school cap.
The first weakness addressed in the report deals with the low academic performance of charter schools. However, it is well known that studies dealing with the academic performance of charter schools often clash due to the methods and formulas used, and the specific mission of the charter. For example, research presented by Bifulco & Ladd concluded that charter schools negatively affect performance, and that the public interest is not “well-served” by these schools. Another study analyzing this report explained the difficulty in drawing such inferences, and examined the data in light of other criteria.
The current report looks at graduation rates to support their reasoning. However, education analysis, Terry Stoops said it best:
“As for student performance, the report is clearly not an apples to apples comparison of charter and district schools. The report compares charter schools with graduating classes of fewer than 25 students to district schools that have graduating classes in the hundreds. In this case, a straight percentage comparison is meaningless.
“The report also does not separate alternative charter schools from regular charter schools. Six out of the 10 lowest performing charter schools are alternative schools but the report buries this information in a footnote. Five out of the 10 lowest graduation rates among charter schools belongs to alternative schools, but the report does not acknowledge this in the table.”
The second “weakness” identified is not reflecting an “appropriate” racial balance. Many traditional public schools across the state do not maintain a racial balance because government simply cannot mandate it, unless freedoms are taken away. More African American families probably take advantage of charter schools because of the lack of educational options available. According to the Schott Foundation, the graduation rate for African American males in North Carolina is approximately 47 percent. No wonder these families choose other options, and charter schools remain the only “free” alternative.
The third weakness deals with the lack of innovation transfer to traditional schools. The only comment I have is: Whose fault is it if district schools do not want to implement innovation?
The fourth weakness suggests that charter schools have questionable management problems. I often have said the best news about charter schools is the state can revoke the charter and close the school. If there are management or financial issues, the school should close. Judge Manning threatened to close failing high schools, not a bad idea! When was the last time you heard of mismanaged public schools closing?
Enough of the politics! The GOMs (Gatekeepers of Mediocrity) do whatever is necessary to keep competition away from the traditional government system. Over 30,000 students currently attend charter schools in North Carolina, and thousands are denied due to government-imposed limits. Parents do make good decisions, and they want educational options. A press conference held in Raleigh today sets the record straight.