Monday, May 14, 2012
Education Fiscal distress and charter schools at state Board of Education
Posted by Max Brantley on Mon, May 14, 2012 at 2:19 PM
The state Board of Education today declared three school districts — Alpena, Bismarck and Drew Central — were in fiscal distress. They must correct their situations or face state takeover.
The state Board also gave approval to a new location for an expanded KIPP charter school in Blytheville. As the department blog notes, KIPP had started construction without board approval, but being KIPP pretty much means never having to say you're sorry. Well, OK. Scott Shirey, executive director of KIPP, did apologize after being called down and said the school should have waited but he got his way.
More telling was this:
Richard Atwill, superintendent of the Blytheville district, said KIPP has already built the school even though at this point it is a request. Additionally, he said KIPP is already advertising for the 4th grade. He said several kids have left KIPP and returned to the Blytheville district and that most of them were behind in learning.Scott Shirey, executive director of KIPP, said the Blytheville school hasn’t been around that long so it takes a while for kids to know the rigor required at KIPP before they enroll.
He inadvertently lays bare the dirty secret of successful charter schools. Give me schools prepared to be rigorous and empowered to drive off students unprepared to learn and I'll show you a successful school. Show me a school that must accept the leavings of the KIPP schools no matter how poorly they perform or attend or how little their parents care and I'll show you a school that a KIPP faculty, for all its innovation and energy, will have a hard time reaching. This is why the KIPPs and e-Stems of the world won't take up the challenge of taking over a failing school and trying to work their supposed magic on a student population they not only inherit but MUST continue to try to teach. No "out-counseling" allowed.
Dig into the testing and you find, over and over, that the charters haven't demonstrated much when comparing similar student populations — poor against poor, for example. Sad to say, the Billionaire Boys Club has so demonized teachers and public schools that a growing segment of the population thinks if you attach "charter" to a school's name, it must be good. It's not that simple.
Speaking of...
-
Monday night's Pomp and Circumstance open line
May 13, 2013Imboden high school graduation is uneventful after flap over gay speaker. /more/
-
Waltons working on school takeover in Massachusetts
May 13, 2013The Walton family effort to redesign publicly financed schools in their image — they prefer essentially privatized operations unanswerable to elected school boards and stripped of teacher association representation, preferably with "out-counseling" of difficult students to the remnant real public schools — is familiar by now in Arkansas. /more/
-
LISA Academy 'blind-sided' by city?
April 26, 2013Claudia Lauer continues her reporting in the Democrat-Gazette today on Lisa Academy's expansion from 600 to 790 students without required city approval. /more/
-
Through the back door with money for home schoolers
April 1, 2013Good story from Rob Moritz of Stephens Media on an underhanded little ol' amendment from Sen. Johnny Key of Mountain Home to open the flood gates of state money to support home schoolers with tax dollars. /more/
-
School vouchers don't work
March 30, 2013You just have to follow Diane Ravitch if you live in this land of Stepford legislators who accept pronouncements from the Billionaire Boys Club school reform lobby as holy writ. /more/
-
Speaking of Jim Dotson: Then there's school governance
March 27, 2013Events today reminded me of another piece of legislation by Rep. Jim Dotson of Bentonville, who sponsored the resolution approved today affirming the legislature's support for gay discrimination in federal law and the Arkansas Constitution. /more/
- More »
Comments (12)
Showing 1-12 of 12
More by Max Brantley
-
UPDATE: Nate Bell shoots from lip on Boston violence; Speaker Carter apologizes for him; Bell apologizes for 'timing'
(For readers new to this site: Nate Bell is a Republican state representative from Mena.
- Apr 19, 2013
-
Exxon proposes compensation to Mayflower spill victims
The Log Cabin Democrat has the rundown on a letter ExxonMobil has sent residents of the Mayflower subdivision where a pipeline ruptured and spilled thousands of barrels of heavy Canadian crude from Alberta tar sands.
- Apr 16, 2013
- More »
Event Calendar
-
Re: The open line — spanking wives for Jesus
I usually start blogging in the morning but mag displeased me at 9:20 am and…
- on June 20, 2013
-
Re: The open line — spanking wives for Jesus
Exodus International to Shut Down
JUNE 19, 2013 BY EXODUS INTERNATIONAL
Exodus International to Shut…- on June 20, 2013
-
Re: The open line — spanking wives for Jesus
NVR, in the link, poses the question, where were you when the Patriot Act was…
- on June 20, 2013
Top Commenters
Blogroll
Site Index
News
Cover Story / Arkansas Reporter / The Week That Was / Smart Talk / The Insider / The Observer / Editorial / Max Brantley / Ernest Dumas / Gene Lyons / Bob Lancaster / Words / Guest Writer / Letters
Entertainment
A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings
This Week's Cover
Quick Links
Special Publications
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
