NAACP Issues Charter School Resolution
H/T and thanks to Nancy Willing for passing this on:
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE
4805 MT. HOPE DRIVE • BALTIMORE, MD 21215-3297 • (410) 580-5777BENJAMIN TODD JEALOUS
President & Chief Executive Officer
ROSLYN M. BROCK
Chairman, Board of Directors
LEON W RUSSELL
Chairman, Resolutions Committee
National Board of DirectorsThe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation’s oldest, largest and most widely-recognized grassroots based civil rights organization. Formed in 1909 by a multiracial group of progressive thinkers, the NAACP is a nonprofit organization established with the objective of ensuring the
political, educational, social, and economic equality of people of color. For over 102 years, the NAACP has challenged this nation to uphold its promise of equal opportunity toward the goal of eliminating racial prejudice and removing all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic processes.In a process established by the NAACP Constitution, this resolution was adopted by the delegates to the 101st Annual Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, during the legislative session in July, 2010. It was subsequently ratified by the NAACP National Board of Directors at its meeting on October 15, 2010. This resolution is now the policy of the Association, and is “binding on the Board of Directors, the
Executive Committee, the Officers, and all units.”Charter Schools
WHEREAS, charter schools are public schools which were originally designed to explore new approaches to educate students; and
WHEREAS, in some cases, charter schools have become a school model that is used to segregate students; and
WHEREAS, charter schools have too seldom informed the education community regarding innovative instructional strategies that accelerate academic achievement in the general population of students; and
WHEREAS, the Center for Research in Educational Outcomes (CREDO) which examined charter school data in fifteen (15) states and the District of Columbia confirmed that only 17% of the charter school students in the study outperformed their peers, while 46% performed no better and 37% performed worse; and
WHEREAS, charter schools operate more autonomously than traditional public schools in the use of funds, adherence to state laws and school policies, selection and removal of students, and the selection and removal of staff, thus creating separate and unequal conditions for success; and
WHEREAS, charter schools draw funding away from already underfunded traditional public schools; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP recognizes that at best, quality charter schools serve only a small percentage of children of color and disadvantaged students for whom the NAACP advocates relative to said population left behind in failing schools; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP recognizes the urgent need to provide quality education for all children, not only those fortunate enough to win lotteries to attend existing quality charter schools; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP is committed to finding broad based, effective solutions for immediate implementation to improve the quality of public education for all children.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP will strongly advocate for immediate, overarching improvements to the existing public education system; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP rejects the emphasis on charter schools as the vanguard approach for the education of children, instead of focusing attention, funding, and policy advocacy on improving existing, low performing public schools and will work through local, state and federal legislative processes to ensure that all public schools are provided the necessary funding, support and autonomy necessary to educate all students; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP will urge all of its Units to work to support public schools throughout the nation to educate all children to their highest potential.
Roslyn M. Brock Leon Russell Benjamin Todd Jealous
Chairman Chairman President & CEO
National Board of Directors Committee on Resolutions
Here’s what caught my attention:
WHEREAS, in some cases, charter schools have become a school model that is used
to segregate students; and
Ya think? Charter Schools have also allowed School Districts to shift their responsibilities to these students to Charters. Which is why I’ve always wondered why Charter proponents wanted to serve on Public School Boards. Always struck me as being an employee of Pepsi, but promoting Coke. And you gotta love the way a Public School District Board’s plan for your public school is to give it away. It’s almost as if they’re saying, “Hey, we stink at this education thingy, so we’ll give it to someone else.”
WHEREAS, the NAACP recognizes the urgent need to provide quality education for all children, not only those fortunate enough to win lotteries to attend existing quality charter schools; and
A commenter over at Kilroy’s summed it up this way:
I have to chime in again, You NCS High School haters have the “crab bucket” syndrome( a way of thinking best described by the phrase “if I can’t have it, neither can you.” The metaphor refers to a pot of crabs. Individually, the crabs could easily escape from the pot, but instead, they grab at each other in a useless “king of the hill” competition (or sabotage) which prevents any from escaping and ensures their collective demise. We should not stop a sucessful school, but try to raise the unsucessful, we should all be working together instead of fighting against one another. That way everyone could escape the “pot” of bad education.
Not even sure where to begin with that I got mine sentiment, let alone the crab metaphor. But I do get what he/she is saying. Many school districts have adopted an every man for himself policy when it comes to educating children. These Districts and Charter Schools seem to thrive on pitting parent against parent. After all, if we are fighting amongst ourselves, it lets those in charge (and paid) for educating our children off the hook for… educating our children.
WHEREAS, the Center for Research in Educational Outcomes (CREDO) which examined charter school data in fifteen (15) states and the District of Columbia confirmed that only 17% of the charter school students in the study outperformed their peers, while 46% performed no better and 37% performed worse; and
Charter schools have always claimed that they can do better than traditional public schools with less tax payer dollars. 37% of Charter students performed worse than their peers. 46% performed no better than their peers. I think this educational experiment is over.
Tags: Charter Schools, Education, NAACP
Charter school proponents often disregard the CREDO study…. because they often deny almost all research based evidence on schools. CREDO is from Stanford, just an OK little rinky dink school……
Without jumping into the argument for or against charters, since I don’t consider myself informed enough, I disagree with your statement that you “think this educational experiment is over.” Despite the troubles at some schools (Reach, Moyer, Campus Community), their popularity seems to be growing. At least two new charter schools opened this year — Gateway Lab and Las Americas — and there are five applications for new charters pending before the state board of education.
According to the Delaware Charter School Network, there are 9,300 students in charter schools in the state and another 3,900 who applied but could not be placed for whatever reasons (www.decharternetwork.org). That is about the same size of Colonial, slightly smaller than Brandywine, and about half of Red Clay and Christina.
Like I said, I don’t consider myself qualified to argue about the merits of charters, but there is no denying their popularity. How long this holds up remains to be seen.
The rules for DE Charters started out loose and have been slowly tightening.
One of the problems with Moyer was that they were caught off-guard when Markell took office and DDOE rewrote many of their regs. Accompanying state statute that mandated DDOE must also actively assist Charters in reaching compliance with the new regs was ignored by DDOE.
I have the documentation to show where and when things went south and how it could have been avoided.
Kilroy has a lot of mileage posted about still-deficient Charter School statute and regs of all stripes and sizes.
To the question of why the state had to re-open Moyer under a chosen management company was because the law (federal?) prohibits sending children to low or lower-performing schools if you want to close a school. There was no time to properly place kids –no classroom space available for the Moyer kids that wasn’t in public schools in complete FAIL. There was no choice but to keep the school open. It wasn’t because a bunch of people were ‘whining’.
http://kilroysdelaware.wordpress.com/2010/08/01/national-civil-rights-leaders-question-race-to-the-top/ Posted on August 1, 2010 by kilroysdelaware
This was from July 31, 2010
“U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan defended the Obama administration’s education reform agenda before the National Urban League today, declaring that some of the arguments being made to justify a new framework that several civil rights groups released on Monday were flat out wrong.” Education week
Remember those parents who opposed DSTP were called misguided parents! Race to The Top is nothing more than NCLB on steroids.
The true test of charter school will be when their admission requirements mirror that of traditional public schools. I don’t oppose charter schools, I just oppose the admission practices that aren’t equitable.
@kilroysdelaware–The true test of charter school will be when their admission requirements mirror that of traditional public schools. I don’t oppose charter schools, I just oppose the admission practices that aren’t equitable.
RTTP is a waste of time & money, but the idea that admission criteria for charter schools be the same for all public schools DEFEATS the purpose of charter schools.
Traditional public schools must accept EVERYONE. The whole point of charter schools is that they have somewhat exclusive admission requirements.
It’s not fair that traditional public schools must educate every student who passes through their doors, but life isn’t fair.
Charter schools are a good thing, in my opinion. They have their own set of problems, but these problems are usually far less serious than those found in a typical high school.
“but the idea that admission criteria for charter schools be the same for all public schools DEFEATS the purpose of charter schools.”
Charter schools are part of education reform. Education reform starting with ESEA 1965 was to address the disparities in the achievement gap between white and black students. Title 1 the heart and soul of NCLB formerly know as ESEAis the big $$$$$$ pie. Race to The Top is being sold as the save all and this new push is address “the most important civil rights issue of today”! Education!
Charter schools have become a means for parents to send their children to school free of negative student behavior that disrupts teaching and learning. Sure sounds all fair however, using Wilmington Charter School as an example, the Specific Interest admission preference discriminates against intelligence and the notion that all at-risk students are behavior problems a sad day in education. If a public school can’t exclude potential students for lack of intelligence not should a charter school the so-called other public school. How can they be “public” schools when “public” includes all students?
“It’s not fair that traditional public schools must educate every student who passes through their doors, but life isn’t fair.”
So pretty much that could say, sorry it’s not my fault you were born black and poor!Sorry you were born with Down syndrome, Autism and in need of a 504 plan http://www.doe.k12.de.us/infosuites/students_family/specialed/resource.shtml
We are not talking about “life” we are talking about public funded education. I once made a comment of concern to a board member (former now) about segregated predominantly African-american charter schools was, ” Why do they chose to attend those schools”?
“Charter schools are a good thing, in my opinion.’
Shouldn’t all students have a good thing when it comes to public education? Rapist and murderers seem to get to play the victim card as in they were abused as a child which does impact the outcome of their trial! Students / children with behavior disorders are often victims of dysfunctional families whereas traditional public schools are required to provide education services even in an alternative settings. Charter school do not!
Charter schools are “great” in the sense that there is more control overspending and are the ultimate in site-base management. However charter school operating with “specified interests” clauses are on a crash course with civil rights issues.
The should be only two admission preferences:
Students living in the existing public school district in which the charter school is locates
And
Sibling preference
Over enrollment to be address by transparent lottery system.
As far as schools like DMA certainly potential students need to have specific interest in military style school.
“but these problems are usually far less serious than those found in a typical high school.”
And narrow minded people will say the whiter the school the less serious problems they’ll be!
The demand for charter schools is growing because income level are down where private schools are not an option. Wilmington Charter School’s claim to fame is it “the best free private school in Delaware”. Sorry to bash on CSW but its the specific interest that burns me because CSW is held up as a model of reform that all should replicate at a time schools that are filled with at-risk students are put on notice if you don’t perform like CSW or close to as you can we’ll close you! Even George Bush can tell you a school filled with at-risk students have greater challenges that those not!
There is a civil rights movement that will rise up and turn charter school admission on it’s head. CSW of see this and are making efforts to reach out to more at-risk school. Just remember, CSW was conceived by people who tactfully circumvent the intent of desegregation.
All men are created equal unless we’re talking charter schools.
I don’t oppose charter schools!
“How can they be “public” schools when “public” includes all students?”
Yes. And the New York High School for Performing Arts shouldn’t select students based on artistic ability. This is school, and that just isn’t fair! Students with no artistic ability have just as much right to attend. And so forth. And people wonder why we have mediocre education. Sounds like a lot of public school supporters are demanding it.
Let me know when you’ve got that deck chair realignment finished. I’d like to sign off on it before the last lifeboat departs.
“Let me know when you’ve got that deck chair realignment finished”
LOL
Don’t forget we have Red Clay’s Cab Calloway School of the Arts a magnet school not charter.
So what’s the answer to the charter school question? Just leave it alone and let nature takes it course? I’ll give it no more than 5 years before we see a civil rights movement that hadn’t been seen since the days of Dr. King. I don’t think separating students by achievement levels is the answer to closing the achievement-gap.
Competition is a good thing! If district schools are concerned, they should improve the schools. There is no motivation to improve when there is no chance of losing business. I worked in in a public school district for nearly a decade. New programs were adopted because of extra funding, not quality programming.
Charter schools provide choices for parents. Schools have not been, nor should ever be, one size fits all. Charters are a modified version of vo-tech and magnet schools.
Parents must apply to charter schools, which also must be done to choice into another district school, and then are accepted based on location, sibling students and space available. Delaware law requires a lottery for all but two charters if applications exceed available seats.
The naysayers also fail to mention that charter schools do not receive capital funding in Delaware which district schools do receive.
There is a Title One Conference at the Wilmington PAL on North Market from 8;30 AM – 3:30PM on March 3rd.
Not many know that Wilmington’s own Hicks Anderson was a national proponent of Title One funds that gives voice for education opportunities to underprivileged families.
Kilroy has the scoop –
http://kilroysdelaware.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/hicks-anderson-disciples-to-hold-conference-on-parental-empowerment/