NYC IBO Revises and Updates Charter Funding Comparison
When the NYC Independent Budget Office issued a Fiscal Brief on charter vs. district school funding last year, I called it a landmark study that shows a serious fiscal inequity. It still is, and it still does, even after today’s release of a revision and update to that study.* Today’s release shows a revised set […]
What the College-Ready Headlines Say (and Don’t)
Last year New York State recalibrated its achievement levels for grades 3-8 after years of grade inflation. It was a sobering day for public education, charter schools included. The State Education Department (SED) now plans the same rip-the-bandaid approach to high school achievement, and it’s the right decision. “College prep” in name only is a […]
Advocacy Day 2011 Celebrates Charter Schools
About 2,000 charter school supporters converged on Albany yesterday for Charter School Advocacy Day 2011. With banners and chants, impassioned speeches and music, participants called for equitable funding and celebrated the growing movement that is providing much-needed educational options for public school families across New York. State Senator John L. Sampson, Leader of the Senate […]
Blame Game
A new item on the UFT’s web site overlays maps of school closures and charter school openings, showing how they both are concentrated in the South Bronx, Harlem, and central Brooklyn. “This may be a coincidence,” the union intones, “but it certainly doesn’t look like one.” No, it isn’t coincidence. But neither is it conspiracy. […]
State Education Department Receives a Record Number of Intent to Apply Requests for New Charter Schools
Last week the State Education Department (SED) received a record 91 Letters of Intent for new proposed charter schools. Seventy applicant groups intend to establish charter schools in the five boroughs of New York City. Twenty-one applicants are from outside New York City and include groups seeking to start schools in Binghamton, Brentwood, Copiague, Hornell, […]
15 New Charters Authorized
The New York City Charter Center would like to congratulate the following schools for their success in becoming authorized by either the State University of New York Charter Schools Institute or the New York State Education Department. Bronx Boys Preparatory Charter School of New York, Districts 7 or 8 Bronx (SUNY) Heketi Community Charter School, […]
Chancellor Klein Resigns
Our CEO, James Merriman, appeared on Fox 5 news last night to talk about Chancellor Klein’s resignation and the appointment of Cathie Black as the city’s new schools Chancellor. In addition, James issued this public statement: Chancellor Klein understood that all children deserve the opportunity to attend great public schools. He oversaw a culture shift […]
Trick or Treat? Watch Out for RTTT Straw Men
Charter schools are thinking hard about whether to accept Race to the Top grants, wondering whether the requirements for teacher evaluation will represent a slide back to bureaucratic micromanagement. Advocates like Tom Carroll are right to ask this question. Charter schools have learned the hard way about the importance of protecting their operational autonomy, and […]
Race to the Top Deadline
Today is the deadline for charter schools to decide if they’re going to participate in the Race to the Top program. While participating has implications for charter school autonomy, as pointed out by several pro-charter organizations over the past few days, there are three reasons we think schools should sign on, as I detailed in […]
In Wine Country, a Sideways “Charter School”
As “Waiting for Superman” shines a bright spotlight on successful charter schools, some newspaper coverage out of Sonoma County, California reminds us again that “charter school” doesn’t mean the same thing everywhere. As the Press Democrat reports, the new charter school in rural Petaluma isn’t trying to offer up an innovative alternative to the local […]
