.
Now let us back up. The argument for charter schools was that they would provide that door or that opportunity for these citizens to help pull themselves out. Theoretically, if all charter schools had huge success stories, then this plan could be a viable option.
If such were the case, all of us including myself would be in favor of charter schools... As I look back over the past 20 years I can now see how we were seduced into allowing them to happen. If someone had substituted the word "private schools" instead of "charter schools", no one would be against; we'd all be in favor..... private schools (which used private funds), competing with public schools would be a good thing. People would have a choice if they could afford to let their children get a great education or a good one... I think Britain has functioned fine with its Eton School for Boys.
Then, when the argument became enhanced, that drawing such a line financially was not fair to underprivileged children who had talent, a lot of us felt that yes they should receive scholarships to go to good schools, and that was fair. Then, when the lack of scholarships for the amount of private school openings became apparent, all were lulled into letting the public money for that child, follow the child where he wound up going... even if it was outside the school system and into someone else's private pockets....
Allowing public money to enhance private pockets, particularly in a urban environment where lots of potential students surround a converted building, opened up great possibilities for some to get wealthy... Just a hundred students at $15,000 each per year, could bring one a gross of $1,500,000.. One could squeeze that few into just three rooms of 35 students... Double that, and one gets $3 million. Do it across the city, and gross $100 million....
So is it really that bad for someone to get wealthy IF... kids are getting a much better education?
And up to now, this was the dilemma .. No really had that answer because no one really knew. No one had ever tried it before....
That was then. We now have results and can analyze this experiment and see, once and for all, how charter schools can impact the growth and development of our children!... This is truly awesome, actually!.... .
In Philly, over a quarter of the district's 195,000 seats are now empty. That is 48,750 empty spots... But more important, is the number of the remainder: 146,250...
In Philadelphia, the proportion of students attending charter schools jumped to 23 percent in the 2011-12 school year from 12 percent in 2004-5, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
The actual number of Charter School Students within the Philadelphia School District, according to the National Alliance for Charter Schools, is 47,800... just 950 student shy of the district's empty seats........
Quite a coincidence!
In all 23.4% of Philly's children are enrolled in Charter Schools.... The district projects a 37 percent increase in costs associated with charter schools over the next five years, bringing the total charter cost to more than $800 million.... That will come out of the public school budgets.
Last year, Philadelphia charters met AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) at only 29 percent, yet that was still better than the 13 percent tally for Philadelphia's district-run schools.....
Mathematically that stacks up thusly....
(0.13)146,250 + (0.29)47,800 = Total Philly students meeting requirements.... The math gives us this many successful students: 32,874...
In 2005, there were 185,000 students in the city district's public schools. At that time, 34% were deemed advanced or proficient..... Doing the math we get this result.... 62,900.... actual students who were advanced or proficient...
In 2005, the Philadelphia School District put out 62,900 students meeting standards. In 2012, after experimenting with Charter Schools, the same geographical area spit out 32,874 students meeting standards...
Conclusion. Having charter schools and public schools duke it out over scarce resources, not unlike the recent movie Hunger Games, cuts our actual passing students down by almost half....
We now have evidence.
Comments are closed on this story.