charterschoolmom.com Blog

Ugly is as ugly does

Administrator — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:51:55 +0000

If you are getting crappy grades, you’re probably ugly too.
At least that’s what a recent study conducted by the University of Miami shows. The Examiner has the story http://www.examiner.com/x-2157-Charter-Schools-Examiner~y2009m4d25-Weird-school-news-attractive-students-better-learners-pot-brownies-KIPP-union. I just want to know who conducted the study. I’m going to guess it was not the jocks.

Charter school week, unions and enrollment

Administrator — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:11:14 +0000

What a whirl-wind of a week!
Colorado Charter Schools celebrated its 15 year anniversary April 2nd, 2009.
And what better way to get the party started than inviting a bunch of charter schools and a few HUNDRED of their friends to rally on the step of the capitol building.
Senate President Groff graced us once more with his presence and speech in FAVOR of our schools, as did a slew of other legislators. I should note that if you are a politician reading this and you want my vote, you are likely to be speaking to me in person. I call all the people who appear on my election ballot and ask pointed (but polite) questions. Be ready to answer a few on your stance and voting reccord on charter schools.
Back to the party, The Cesar Chavez Mariachi band played, KIPP was in the house, and Colorado League of Charter Schools and College Invest announced the essay winners. FULL STORY HERE!

Oh, and we started a series on charter school enrollment in the Colorado Charter Schools Examiner which will likely stir some controversy. We began innocently with the application process and will continue with enrollment procedures. We’re likely to get company again from our heckling critics. But that’s alright. Reform is not everyone’s cup of tea…neither is status quo.

On that note, we also touched on some union action with the charter schools. I am still trying to figure out why the UFT’s support of charter schools is so inconsistant. Suppose it’s like asking FORD why they don’t like TOYOTA when they clearly like cars.
It’s just that the rest of us charter folk are so supportive of eachother, even if we’re a different flavor of schools, that we don’t always relate to only liking our own kind.
I am actually hoping to talk to the UFT to get to understand it better.
As someone who wishes to have an open view in supporting all of our charters I wish to learn more about the most controversial of charter schools–The unionized charters.
More on this topic HERE.

Crappy schools don’t “cream”

Administrator — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:35:44 +0000

Do you know which schools are never accused of “creaming” for enrollment?—Crappy schools.
I have never, not once, heard of a school with an awful reputation and terrible academic ratings be charged with attracting the best students. Suppose it would be difficult to imagine a school drawing the best of the best and achieve the worst of the worst education results.
What does the word “creaming” mean anyways?
Answers.com defines the term as:
The yellowish fatty component of un-homogenized milk that tends to accumulate at the surface The FREE dictionary has the same definition as well as this explanation:
The choicest part: the cream of the crop.When it comes to public schools of choice, the first definition can hardly be used. I have yet to see a charter school with accumulating fat layers of either money or unnecessary administration.
Instead “creaming” is a term sometimes hurled at charter schools by its non-supporters as an attempt to play down the school’s successes.
The tale goes that the charters achieve such shiny results by simply attracting the highest performing students because they are the best program in town.
Before we begin chatting about this claim, let’s clarify a couple of facts—charter schools are public schools and must abide by the same anti-discrimination laws as any other public school. Secondly, the word “creaming” is sometimes incorrectly used interchangeably with the phrase “hand picking.” Technically these are two separate* accusations and today we are only covering the term creaming.
As my regular readers know by now, I am not against anyone’s choice of schooling “type” for their child. Charter schools are our family’s choice and passion, but I don’t intentionally walk around and knock other people’s preferences.
High and low quality schools come in all sorts of titles. So to level the playing field let’s just take the word charter out of the statement and reduce it to its true origin.
Do high quality schools attract better students?
Personally I have a problem with labeling anyone better or worse. In my mind we all have strengths and weaknesses and all students are loaded with potential.
But given the choice the majority of families would choose a proven school over the one ridden with problems. It’s just human nature. I mean, when you’re in the produce department do you gravitate toward the banged-up rotting fruit, or the orchard fresh selection? Do you read labels or check the expiration date? What if they cost the same to the customer? Which one do you think would fly off the shelves faster? Did the quality product attract the better consumer, or just more satisfied consumers? Shall we all stock our grocery shelves full of nasty produce just to prove a point? Which point?
Good schools will always be more popular than the bad ones regardless of what “type” of school it is. In an area where neighborhood schools are thriving, property values and home sales tend to do the same. A top notch private school usually carries a lengthy wait list. And where there are high caliber charter schools you can count on a whole lot of families filling out interest in enrollment forms.
In conclusion, the word “creaming” is a weird form of back handed compliment.
So the next time someone says my school is creaming (translated: the more popular choice as it is a quality school) I will practice my new reply–”Well, thank you.”
Stay tuned this week as we will define the term “hand picking” and explore the different types of charter school enrollment procedures. Not only will this be an insider’s guide to how to enroll your child in a charter school, but it will dispel the fallacy of the “charter school litmus test.”
If you are interested in what President Obama had to say about the myth of charter school cherry picking, read this weekend’s post here.

*Creaming refers to a school attracting good students. Hand picking means that the school chooses which students get to attend. Huge difference.

31 Flavors of Public Education

Administrator — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:56:58 +0000

Few are the people that don’t like ice-cream. Perhaps I don’t remember meeting any anti-ice-cream-eaters because “weirdies” get filed in the black-hole of my memory.

This blog is for us “non-weirdies” who have appreciation for cold, sweet, drippy ice-cream.

Good schools are just like ice-cream. Traditional, magnets, and charters–they are all ice-cream–just different in flavor. Our quality school districts are the parlors where the decadent treats are being offered.

During a cone purchase, do you give much thought to what the other guy just bought? Or do you like me; give little attention to what’s sliding down other people’s pie-holes, read each item on the menu and savor the imaginary moment of indulgence before placing your order? My friends include ice-cream eaters of all flavors. Though we may be different in preference we respect each other’s choices.

Imagine walking up to the counter and having the ice-cream man declare that the country is only serving vanilla, because vanilla is a fine flavor that should cater to all customers? We would have a national riot on our hands by strawberry, chocolate and sherbet lovers alike. Vanilla lovers would protest as well since demand for their special treat just went way up, which could cause a shortage and way more spoons in the container.

Many would suck it up and eat vanilla for awhile until that need for a flavor fix really sets in. If the ice-cream diversity ban was local, non-conformists may find themselves willing to travel or make their own. There are other brands of ice-cream out there too. In education we call them private schools. We pay more for a cone at the designer shop, but it is customized with toppings and warm waffle cone choices. Design shops have devoted patrons no matter what the other vendors offer, but imagine how their business would grow if they were the sole providers of flavor options.

A great ice-cream parlor caters to the varied needs of its ranging customers with equal appreciation, just like a sound school district is inclusive of the needs of all its students.

Have you ever been paying for your treat and had some guy hiss at you that your chocolate ice-cream purchase is hurting the sales of strawberry custard? Has someone told you they think less of you for not preferring their favorite ice-cream? I am going to guess no.

So why do some criticize other families for attending a different kind of school than theirs? Should we expect parents to sacrifice the schooling choice best suited for their kid, because one type of education should be fine for all? If we flooded all the kids into one type of public school, what are we really accommodating-the kids’ varied needs or some desire to make others conform?

Debating which is better, chartered or traditional, is a waste if time. There is ample demand for all flavors of public education.

Charter school teachers are highly qualified

Administrator — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:24:49 +0000

There’s nothing quite like pouncing on a hot topic right out of the gate.
Besides, what better way for you to get to know me and how my charter school favoring mind thinks, than to throw you straight into the whirl-wind of charter school debates.
You see yesterday I posted a little column on my Examiner page called “Parental view of charter schools.” I had no idea that this would offend someone and a firestorm of debates broke out.
Who came to defend the honor of charter schools against the self-proclaimed charter critic?—Parents and teachers.
Inspired by the event I created a list of teachers I’d like to teach my kids, a “dream team,” if you will.
This list will help us answer a key question raised by many o’ critics: Are charter school teachers qualified?

Reading: Oprah Winfrey (Tennessee State University—speech and performing arts)
Writing: Charles Dickens (Rome Dame School in Chatham, Clover Lane Academy, Wellington House Academy, continued self education by employment)
Math: Albert Einstein (Luitpold Gymnasium, Eidgenössische Polytechnische Schule , Einstein was a teacher at Princeton University and a union member. He did not hold a Colorado Teacher’s License. Would Einstein, like our Air Force Academy Professor, not be able to teach K-12 district schools?)
Science: Sir Isaac Newton (Free Grammar school, studied law at Trinity College Cambridge)
History: Jesus of Nazareth (Taught in a temple. He knew the past and the future. Does this make a qualified teacher?)
Rhetoric and political science: President Obama (fill this in with the US president of choice, most who are well educated on the topic, but do not hold teaching degrees)
Art: Georgia O’Keefe (Chatham Protestant Episcopal Institute in Williamsburg, Art Institute of Chicago, Art Students League in New York).
Music: Herbie Hancock (famous pianist)

What do these teachers have in common? With the education pedigrees these individuals possess, they would be more likely to be hired in a charter school than a district k-12 school.

Does that mean the persons on the list above are “unqualified as teachers?”

With Jesus Christ, the ultimate teacher and counselor, on the list—one would say no.
Read the entire article here.