On average, the funding gap between charter schools and traditional schools is 22 percent, or $1,800 per pupil. The average charter school ends up with a total funding shortfall of nearly half a million dollars.
Source: Charter School Funding: Inequity’s Next Frontier
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Note: Please be aware that online publishers often change URLs or no longer provide access to articles after 7 days. If any of the below links no longer work, access the publishing newspaper and search the archives for the keywords in the subject matter. Good luck.
Washington D.C. Public Charter Schools Profiled in Washington Post Series
A multi-part series in the Washington Post on the city’s public charter schools appears in Sunday's and today's editions. An analysis of student testing data shows that public charter schools are doing better than regular district schools in boosting academic achievement, particularly among low-income children, who make up two-thirds of D.C.'s public school students. The series also alleges conflicts of interest of some members of the public bodies that regulate and fund the schools.
Source: Washington Post (free registration required), (12/15/2008)
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Student Enrollment Continues Steady Increase in Arizona Charters
Since the first public charter school opened in Arizona in 1995, charters have seen a steady enrollment boom as parents seek alternative choices to the traditional public school district. Today there are 478 public charter schools in the state teaching approximately 93,864 students in grades K-12. Arizona is one of the leaders of the national public charter school movement, said Larry Pieratt, executive director for university public schools at Arizona State University. "Arizona charter schools are coming into its own and have risen to a level where it's an integral part of the system," Pieratt said. Eileen Sigmund, president and CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association, said that while the economy is a concern for public charters, like it is for district schools, public charter schools have continued to grow because of stringent laws and oversight.
Source: The Arizona Republic, (12/14/2008)
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Members Appointed to New Georgia Charter Schools Commission
Georgia's State Board of Education has appointed seven people to serve on a new state commission charged with considering public charter school applications. The seven members of the Georgia Charter Schools Commission were nominated by Gov. Sonny Perdue, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, and House Speaker Glenn Richardson. The commission also can authorize a public charter school's use of a local school system's per-pupil money. Currently, local systems do not have to pass full funding on to public charter schools and can retain funds for administrative and other costs. The group will begin accepting applications in August for schools interested in opening for the 2010-11 school year.
Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution, (12/12/2008)
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Public Charter School Advocates Push Candidate for New Superintendent in Los Angeles
Last week, the contract of Los Angeles Superintendent David Brewer III was bought out by the school board. While some education leaders believe the district should conduct a national search for Brewer's successor, public charter school officials, as well as union officials and former board members, said the job should go to Senior Deputy Superintendent Ray Cortines. Former LAUSD board member and public charter school advocate Caprice Young said a national search could take too long for a district that needs urgent decisions now. "They have an obvious choice right in front of them. Cortines is phenomenal," Young said. "Continuity is key from the perspective of the charter school movement." Cortines would be a solid choice for superintendent," said Gary Larson, a spokesman for the California Charter Schools Association. "He's very willing to work with charter schools and it's likely he'll incorporate the successes of charter schools into the broader system so that all students benefit from charters' successes."
Source: Contra Costa Times, (12/10/2008)
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New Report on Magnet Schools Laments Public Increasing Popularity of Public Charter Schools
A new report about magnet schools from the Civil Rights Project at UCLA compares characteristics of magnet school students with those of public charter school students and laments that “attention has been siphoned away from magnet schools." Magnets promote integration, while public charter schools can exacerbate racial isolation, claims study director Erica Frankenberg. In 2008, federal magnet school funding was just over $100 million, compared to $200 million for charter schools.
Source: Education Week (subscription required), (12/10/2008)
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Annual Report from National Charter School Research Project Released
On December 8, the National Charter School Research Project released its annual report, "Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2008." A key theme throughout the report is that public charter schools are more different than alike, not only in terms of the populations they serve, the academic missions they pursue, and the results they produce, but also in their response to local need and capacity. National public charter school achievement was found to be promising overall, but highly varied. Public charter schools distinguished themselves from traditional public schools in their educational strategies and offerings, with college-prep charters being an important new development for inner-city students. “Unlike urban public schools that teach watered-down math, science, and literature, and track less capable students into vocational courses, these schools teach what college-bound students are expected to know,” says Paul Hill, Director of the Center for Reinventing Public Education. Another emerging area for charter schools was special education. The report highlights three public charter schools that are serving special-needs children in unique or effective ways. “Special-needs families need a wide range of public school options,” the authors write. “… and charter schools are filling an important niche, especially for students with less severe needs.”
Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, (12/09/2008)
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