1. Charter Schools
Jacob, Jes, and Natasha

2. So what is a charter school anyway?
A good definition from the Ertas and Roch article:
“As public schools, charter schools are held accountable for performance standards specified in a contract with the charter authorizer and, at the same time, are given greater flexibility than regular public schools in how to meet those standards.These schools, unlike regular public schools, retain students through choice.”

3. How does our CEL relate?
Jes is at Bandaair Academy which is part of the Minnesota Transitions Charter School umbrella. The overwhelming majority of student body is Muslim and from Somalia.
Jacob is at the Minnesota Internship Center (MNIC) which is one of the charter schools that presented when CEL representatives came to class.

4. And some history...
Albert Shanker is cited to have developed the idea of charter schools in during an address to the National Press Club in his role as President of the American Federation of Teachers.
Minnesota was the first state to pass a “charter school law” in 1991.
By school year there were charter schools in 42 states and the District of Columbia.
Many contend what Shanker conceived of as “teacher led schools” have morphed into large private money making enterprises at the expense of students.

5. Some main points from Ertas and Roch article
This article highlights a new facet of research which focuses on what type of organization is in control of a charter school and if that impacts the quality of education and the types of students being served.
Charters run by Educational Management Organizations (EMOs) tend to shy away from educating children with greater needs such as special needs students and disadvantaged youth to maximize profits. Black students in schools run by EMOs are generally of a higher socio- economic status than their peers in public schools.
Mission-driven not for profit charters more typically focus on students with greater needs.
Key is to not achieve economic goals at the expense of equity in education.

6. Charter schools around the world
In September of this year, the country of Liberia turned over 3% of its schools to a charter school company called Bridge International Academies in a year-long pilot program. If successful the government has declared it will then develop a nation-wide charter program.
“Free schools” (new charter schools) and “academies” (institutions that already existed but have changed to the charter model) are very prevalent in England and were backed strongly by David Cameron before he stepped down as Prime Minister.
According to the United Federation of Teachers’ website other countries in which charters are popular include Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Japan, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, Tanzania and parts of Canada and China.

7. New York, New York: 35 school districts across 5 boroughs.
Largest public school system in the US: 1,133,963 pupils school year ‘15-’16.
Demographics:
Hispanic: 459,402
Afro-American: 307,734
Asian: 175,648
White: 167,465
ELL: 142,135
Poverty: 867, %, down 3% from previous 4 years.

8. Benefits of Charter Schools:
Stupid in America
Charter School Performance in New York City
Students enrolled in charter schools improve academically.
Students left behind are not “left behind”.
Public School Performance in NYC Dist #7: Bronx
Public School Map: District 7 Bronx Charter School Map: District 7 Bronx

9. The Downfall of Charter School
Charter schools have failed in the following areas:
-Little to no accountability in finances
-Too much freedom in disciplinary actions
-Abrupt closing and opening of charter schools across the country
-Schools run like businesses and not putting the children first
-Students in Charter schools do not perform better than Public School Students

10. The Charter School Debate
The debate on the effectiveness of charter schools revolves around three topics:
School Choice
Funding
Race and Socioeconomic Status

11. Common Arguments Race and SES Pro Race and SES Con School Choice Pro
-Research has shown that Charters improve the performance of Black and Latino Students
Race and SES Con
-Improvements for Black and Latino students was less than 1% so the data is insignificant
School Choice Pro
-Market based choice (free choice) allows for parent/student freedom, competition, and school autonomy
School Choice Con
-Market based choice is what creates racial and economic segregation
Funding Pro
-Local schools are not affected by charters because as students switch to charters the money follows them
Funding Con
-Charters drain millions of dollars from the school district

12. CLASS DEBATE