The SUNY Board of Trustees voted today to approve six new charter school applications, leaving SUNY only 12 more charters to issue. SUNY is the only charter school authorizer with spots left under the statewide cap, and it has already received 22 applications. (There are still dozens more applications in…
This is the third post about what’s actually in the much-discussed New York State charter schools bill (S.7678/A.10928). Read about the raising the cap in Pt. 1 and improving transparency in Pt. 2.Do charter schools enroll too few students who require special education (SpEd) services? Over at Gotham Schools today,…
Appearing on Good Day New York yesterday, Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D - Brooklyn) talked about his reasons for supporting the charter schools bill that recently passed in the Senate.† "The status quo hasn't worked. There has to be some creativity.... Parents in my district are actually moving out of my…
When you use any available logic to oppose something, you find yourself saying funny things. In the charter school debates, the latest example making the rounds is this gem: - Wall Street people are giving away their money to charter schools. All they care about is profit!It joins a list…
Yesterday, I debated Diane Ravitch on New York 1’s Inside City Hall. Watch it for yourself, but I have to say there is a Moby Dick quality to her obsession with charter schools. While Professor Ravitch has every right to try to engage in a public renunciation of her former…
This is the second post about what’s actually in the much-discussed New York State charter schools bill (S.7678/A.10928). Read about the attack on zombie charter schools in Pt. 1.The charter schools bill that the NYS Senate approved this week doesn’t just lift the cap on charter schools, it addresses concerns…
After the New York State Senate voted to approve S.7678, a compromise charter school bill that Charter Center supported, it’s worth reviewing what’s actually in the legislation. So here's the first in a series of explanatory posts. For an overview of the bill, read the Charter Center's support memo here.…
Kudos to the John Sampson and the NY State Senator for approving a solid charter schools bill by a vote of 45-15. It's an important step forward.Charter school advocates are looking forward to working with Speaker Silver and the Assembly in the days and weeks ahead, to help charter schools…
"As I sat through the hearing waiting to testify, I found myself in an odd position. I've always been a firm believer in oversight, regulation, transparency, and accountability for charter schools. As a charter school authorizer for seven years, I built a regulatory regimen that has been praised nationwide. "So…
"When parents recognize which schools are failing to educate their children, they will demand more effective options for their kids. They won't care whether they are charters, non-charters or some other model. As President Barack Obama has called for, states should eliminate restrictions that limit the growth of excellent charter…
