The Answer Sheet: Charter schools


Posted at 11:02 AM ET, 10/11/2011

Education Dept. gives $200,000 grant to charter school not allowed to open
By Valerie Strauss
New Jersey officials recently declined to give permission to a group that wanted to open a charter school that offered a Hebrew-language immersion program.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:02 AM ET, 10/11/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools

Posted at 02:40 PM ET, 09/18/2011

Deion Sanders, former Redskin, to open Texas charter school
By Valerie Strauss

The Texas State board of Education approved Sanders’ application to open the school even though some members expressed concerns about the school’s academic rigor.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:40 PM ET, 09/18/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools

Posted at 04:01 AM ET, 08/22/2011

The Texas Charter Schools Visa® Platinum Card (for real)
By Valerie Strauss
And now, in Texas, there’s a charter schools Visa® Card, making it ever so easy for people to contribute to the cause — even though a new state report shows charter schools not doing much to help kids improve academically.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:01 AM ET, 08/22/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 08/19/2011

D.C.’s move toward charter-centric school system
By Valerie Strauss
There is new evidence that suggests that the D.C. public school system is intentionally being shaped into a system dominated by charters.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 08/19/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  D.C. Schools, Charter schools

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 02/27/2011

2 false claims that drive school reform
By Valerie Strauss
"Accountability" and "merit" are compelling concepts, especially when we are talking about adults who are charged with educating our children. But the concepts have been misused in school reform, writes an educator.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 02/27/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Accountability, Charter schools, Guest Bloggers, Performance pay, Teacher assessment | Tags:  accountability movement, charter schools, geoffrey canada, merit pay, michelle rhee, performance pay, school choice, teacher pay, teachers, waiting for superman

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/20/2011

Policing the rush to charter schools
By Valerie Strauss
What would happen if we applied some school reform policies to city police departments?

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/20/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter schools, gov. mitch daniels, indiana education, indiana schools, journal gazette, schools and police, vouchers

Posted at 04:30 PM ET, 01/10/2011

More questions for KIPP
By Valerie Strauss
Here's the next chapter of a debate on KIPP schools.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:30 PM ET, 01/10/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  century foundation, charter schools, charter schools and segregation, jay mathews, kipp, kipp charter schools, kipp schools, knowledge is power program

Posted at 08:30 AM ET, 01/10/2011

KIPP responds to criticism on attrition rates
By Valerie Strauss
Officials from the Knowledge Is Power Program, or KIPP charter schools, respond to a post about attrition rates and other issues.

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:30 AM ET, 01/10/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter schools, kipp, kipp schools, knowledge is power program

Posted at 01:36 PM ET, 01/03/2011

America’s disdain for its children
By Valerie Strauss
Americans don’t really think very much of their children. Not really. Just take a look at the world of education.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:36 PM ET, 01/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter schools, children, poverty, standardized tests, teacher evaluation, teachers

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/27/2010

Who in education says 'oops'?
By Valerie Strauss
A former school superintendent explains why virtually nobody in education policy ever admits that they "either goofed or would reconsider their decision."

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/27/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter schools, education policy, education policymakers, gates foundation, larry cuban, research on charter schools, technology in education

Posted at 02:05 PM ET, 12/21/2010

A sobering look at Florida school reform
By Valerie Strauss
With Florida increasingly being looked to as a national model for school reform, here's a clear-eyed look at exactly what has been going on in the Sunshine State.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:05 PM ET, 12/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter schools, florida school reform, jeb bush, school reform, sherman dorn, standardized tests

Posted at 10:15 AM ET, 12/19/2010

'Burn and churn' among charter school principals
By Valerie Strauss
Seventy-one percent of charter school principals expect to leave their posts within five years, according to a new study. So what’s the big deal about entering and exiting charter school principals?

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:15 AM ET, 12/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter school principals, charter school teachers, charter schools, larry cuban, principal burnout, principals, school reform

Posted at 10:45 AM ET, 12/14/2010

The 'Parent Trigger' doesn't help schools or parents
By Valerie Strauss
The so-called “parent trigger” law in California, which allows a majority of parents (from a school or from their “feeder” schools) to sign a petition that forces a school to be converted into a charter, is not a genuine parent engagement strategy. The recent effort to apply the law for the first time shows why.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:45 AM ET, 12/14/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  california schools, california's parent trigger, charter schools, larry ferlazzo, parent revolution, parent trigger, parent trigger law

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/14/2010

Where education reform is heading: From extreme to extremum
By Valerie Strauss
If you want to understand where public education reform is heading, look south and east to Florida, where the governor-elect, Rick Scott, is talking about a new funding student formula that is more likely to destroy the public school system than accomplish anything else.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/14/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  florida schools, jeb bush, opportunity scholarships, private schools, public education system, public schools, rick scott, school choice movement, school funding formula, universal voucher program, universal vouchers, vouchers

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 10/27/2010

Ravitch on how wrong 'Superman' really is
By Valerie Strauss
Education historian Diane Ravitch critiques the most basic things that Davis Guggenheim got wrong in 'Waiting for Superman.'

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:30 AM ET, 10/27/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter schools, davis guggenheim, diane ravitch, naep, proficient, standardized tests, waiting for superman

Posted at 12:48 PM ET, 10/11/2010

Obama, the 'Superman' movie flack?
By Valerie Strauss
President Obama is welcoming to the White House the five young students who star in "Waiting for Superman." Thank you, Mr. President, for drawing more attention to the tendentious movie. The $2 million given by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote the movie apparently wasn't enough.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:48 PM ET, 10/11/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  davis guggenheim, kids and obama, matt lauer, obama, obama and sidwell, obama daughters, president obama, sidwell friends school, students go to white house, superman film, superman kids, superman kids at white house, superman movie, waiting for superman, white house

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 09/22/2010

Are charter schools really innovative?
By Valerie Strauss
A key school reform is driven by an assumption that charter schools are wellsprings of new ideas. Unfortunately, with rare exceptions, that’s not the case, writes educator Marion Brady.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 09/22/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter networks, charter school movement, charter schools, charters and innovative, expanding charters, marion brady, school reform

Posted at 05:30 PM ET, 09/16/2010

While we wait for ‘Superman,’ let's focus on teaching
By Valerie Strauss
he founding director of a center that fosters best teaching practices saw "Waiting for Superman" and writes: "Conventional thinking tells us the best way to improve teacher effectiveness is to remove the ineffective teachers and replace them with effective ones. No doubt, this strategy is needed. But if we’re going for a fundamental shift in what we expect from schools, then a wholesale cast change won’t be the fix we imagine. We’ll risk ending up with a new batch of well-intentioned, but improperly prepared players in a flawed system."

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:30 PM ET, 09/16/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  center for inspired teaching, firing teachers, how to fix schools, inspired teachers, inspired teaching, professional development, school reform, superman movie, teacher development, teachers, waiting for superman

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 07/15/2010

What does "charterness" mean, exactly?
By Valerie Strauss
“Charterness” is not a policy, an education researcher writes. If a particular policy or set of practices seems to help increase student performance, we should replicate those practices, not entire schools that adopted them. Doing the latter is sort of like buying a second home just to have a garage.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 07/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  al shanker, al shanker institute, charter schools and research

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 06/29/2010

Two new studies on charter schools
By Valerie Strauss
Two new studies are released today on charter schools, one on financing and the other on student achievement. Neither is especially good news for charter schools.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:00 AM ET, 06/29/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter school financing, charter school movement, charter schools, mathematica research, research on charter schools, student achievement and charter schools

Posted at 12:30 PM ET, 06/23/2010

Question raised about new KIPP study (with update)
By Valerie Strauss
No sooner had a new study been released saying that middle school students in the charter school network called Knowledge Is Power Program, significantly outperform their public school peers on reading and math tests than critics began to find problems with the report.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:30 PM ET, 06/23/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  KIPP network, KIPP schools, Knowledge Is Power, charter schools, is

Posted at 02:58 PM ET, 05/23/2010

Charters vs. public schools: Behind the numbers
By Valerie Strauss
In a New York Times magazine article today, writer Steven Brill compares a charter school in Harlem with a traditional public school which is housed in the same building. He says the student populations are the same. They aren't.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:58 PM ET, 05/23/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools | Tags:  brill and story about unions, brill's story and charter schools, charter schools, steven brill story, the new york times and brill story, the teachers unions last stand

Posted at 05:02 PM ET, 05/09/2010

Charter schools: Is this the way it was supposed to work?
By Valerie Strauss
With Education Secretary Arne Duncan promoting the expansion of publicly funded charter schools as if they had been proven to be the silver bullet for school reform (they haven’t), it seems reasonable to look at what can happen when schools are opened without enough regulation.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:02 PM ET, 05/09/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  Arne Duncan, Central Avenue School, Duncan and charter schools, Education Secretary Duncan, Florida and charter schools, Imagine Schools, New York Times and charter schools, St. Petersburg Times and charter schools, charter schools

Posted at 02:00 AM ET, 05/06/2010

How U.S. school reform is linked to UK vote
By Valerie Strauss
A British writer explains the connection between U.S. charter schools and the general election today in the United Kingdom--and an interest on both sides of the Atlantic in the KIPP charter schools.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:00 AM ET, 05/06/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  British election, British schools, Gordon brown, Gove and KIPP, KIPP, KIPP schools, Knowledge Is Power, UK election, charter schools, education in britain, obama and KIPP, schools in England

Posted at 11:30 AM ET, 04/26/2010

Willingham: Stanford charter school and 'confirmation bias'
By Valerie Strauss
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham looks at how "confirmation bias" affected the way people looked at the news that a charter school founded by Stanford University Professor Linda Darling-Hammond was closed.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:30 AM ET, 04/26/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  Daniel Willingham, Linda Darling-Hammong, Stanford charter school, charter schools, guest bloggers

Posted at 08:00 AM ET, 04/24/2010

Straight talk about charter schools
By Valerie Strauss
A hearing held in New York City this week about sounded more like a brawl than the information-gathering session it was intended to be. Read some of the testimony given by education historian Diane Ravitch, which was received by charter advocates as heresy.

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:00 AM ET, 04/24/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools | Tags:  Death and Life of the Great American School System, Diane Ravitch, Ravitch and book, bill perkins and charters, charter schools, charter schools and hearing, new york city charter schools