OCR Text |
Show __The Salt Lake Tribune OPINION Sunday, November21, 1999 Charter Schools Become A Small But Powerful Engine ofSchool Reform BY BRUNO MANNO, GREGG VANOUREKAND and CHESTERFINNJr. POR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES More and more Americans are becoming acquainted with charter schools: independent pabie schools ofchoice, free ofthe usual rules ut accountable for results, There are now nearly 1,700 such schools in 32 states and the District of Columbia, enroiling approximately 370,000 students. California’s 240 charter schools enroll nearly one in three (around 105,000)of these students. Yet, for all the attention they receive, charter schools are dwarfed by the behemoth ofU.S. public education, enrolling only aboutthree-quarters of 1 percent ofall public-school students, Consequently, many see Wes as scattered specialty shops, aca- transferable to other schools in the district,” says district Superintendent Don Shalvey. Some of the innovations in- anability tc outsource some edu- cation services. Another version ofa district's embrace of the charter idea as a wayto achieve its own end can be spired by charter schools are now districtwide staples. Among them are personalized learning plans, foundin the Kingsburg districtin California. Led by former Superintendent Ron Ailvin, the entire K-8 district wentcharter, as did a district in Cartersville, Ga. Thecharter also broughtflexibility to district hiring policies and By doing so, Superintendent Harold Barnett accomplished three purposes: releasing a burst of energy from his educators, improving academic performance thematic instructional units, multi-age classrooms and technology-based instruction. and increasing involvement. parent Other studies are finding that charter schools are having simi- lar effects on otherdistricts. Eric Rofes of Humboldt State University has documented district responses in 25 communities, in- men loss; and four acknowl- money. id” loss of students or Among theothereffects Rofes found in response to charters were that schools organized around a specific philosophy or theme; after-school or all-day cluding some in California. Nine of the 25 districts he examined claimed that charter schools had programs were added; more ser- noeffects; five experienced such “strong” effects as a significant loss of students and money; seven proved. Not surprisingly, large urbandistricts were less likely to felt since theyare so big and sluggish “moderate” student and vices were outsourced; and teacher and staff morale imfeel the impactof charter schools, and thusaptto be less responsive to competition. School change comes slowly. But charter schools are more influential than their numbers suggest. They are at the epicenter of America’s most education-reform and their rumblings are ning to affect schocl systems aed U.S. educationatlarge. Bruno Manno, Gregg Vanoure- kand and Chester Finn Jr. are co- authors of “Charter Schools in Action: Renewing Public Education.” demic haveris — perhaps even fortresses — for the families who choose them. Charter schools, according to this view, are not true agents of change in the larger public-school system. Rather, they may retard change by easing the demandfor reform and giving dissidents an outlet. The public-school establishment has reacted to charter schools in one of four ways: stop them cold; keep them few and weak; fight back and outdo them; or embrace them. Thefirst two reactions are the most common. Yet, the charter movement has gained enor momentum to challenge this kind of opposition, especiallyat the district level. In Lansing,Mich., five charter schools have opened in recent years, siphoning off 1,000 of the district's 19,500 students. In re- sponse, the district undertook an aggressive marketing plan that included local TV ads during the 1998 Winter Clympics. About 100 students returned to the public system. NOKIA Yet, the most notable district responses to charter-school com- petition go beyond marketing. In Flagstaff, Ariz., former Superintendent Kent D. Matheson added full-day kindergarten classes and several magnetschoolsto his disirict. Douglas County, Colo., added a gifted and talented program. So did Battie Creek, Mich., which also created two new schools in 1998 in partnership with the for-profit Edison Project in response to three charter schools that opened that year. In Boston, where five of Massachusetts’ first 15 charter schools were located, the district andits teachers union launched a “pilot schools” project, which allowed regulations and contract provisions to be waived. Competition .with charter schools has made a positive difference for somedistrict schools. In Arizona,a study sorted district responses into low-cost (e.g., us- Give the AT&T Holiday Gift Pack. Get a $30 Nokia rebate. ing flyers and other marketing tools) and costlier moves (e.g., Givethe gift of Disney andtalk all you want with the AT&T Family Plan. Get unlimited starting a full-day kindergarten program). While the mere whisper of charters maytrigger the former, the authors contend that only “direct competition from charter local wireless calling between family members on upto five wireless phones, plus your home phone, in your Family Calling Area. Right now,give everyone onyourlist little Disney holiday magic. Choose from four schools pushes districts to adopt Disney Xpress-on™color covers... Mickey, Minnie, Donald or Goofy make the perfect high-cost school reforms.” Furthermore, positive achievement stocking stuffers. Only from AT&T. results were most apparent in sub-performingdistricts. These findings undercut the fears of many school-choice op- ponents whobelieve that compe- tition will harm poorly perform- ing students. School districts can also achieve their own purposes with the help of charter schools, creat: ing schools not possible under the usual ground rules, using them as labs to test innovations or employing them as part of a broader reform strategy. State certification requirements would have made a new Montessori schoolin Mesa,Ariz., difficult to staff, but the district used a charter-school law to cut red » Houston contracted with leus Lott, director of Or choose the AT&T Holiday Gift Pack with a Nokia 5160 and Mickey Mouse AT&T FAMILY PLAN UNLIMITED local wireless calls between family members ——_—_——- plus ATAT residential long distance required. PHONES BY NOKIA CaroacrinProms ONEMOket enters Now you can purchase AT&T Digital Cable and @Home internetservices at selected AT&T Stores. Comein to find out about details and special offers. 884 N. State St 801 802-0725 MF 10am-7pm Sat 10am-6pm University Malt 1300 S. State St 801 225-2730 M-Sat 10am-9pm 276M will 1 888-OUR FAMILY www.att.com/familyplan/ *PROVO innovations AT&T Wireless Services. Isn’t it the most wonderful time of the year? 80, 400 600 92475 $49”, $697... 44H. Maio St 435 753-2385 MF 10am-7pm Sat 10am-6pm ful Xpress-on™color cover and you'll get a $30 mail-in rebate when you sign up for t Our Orher Part tr SALT LAKE CITY 729 £3300 South 801 481-8100 MF 10am-7pm Sat 10am-6pm 1611S. Main St ‘801 575-1300 MF 10am-7pm Sat 10am-6m Y 10645 S State St 801 571-1719 MF 10am-7pm Sat 10am-6pm WILL AFB (Opden, 7437 6th St, Bldg. 430 801 779-0441 South Jordan, 1634 W. S. Jordan Pkwy, 801 253-4317 Tooele, 740M. Main 435 633-0253 West Jordan, 7061S. 1700 W 801- 568-3215 West Valley City, 4643 S. 4000 W. 801 982.0372 eau? - STALKING GRIZZLIES Brett Prettyman Tribune Hockey Writer ane bebs ae ‘Acton Link, Advantage Wireless,Padatspee Sadpeeneyv Circuit City, ephones (lormarty Totally Wirsiess), Fred Mayes, Hleh’s TV 8 iynn’s Audio/Video, Metrocall, Microtel, POOR COPY |