Focus+-+Charter+Schools

= = = = = = = = = Study Shows Pa. Charter Schools Less Effective Than Public Schools. Legislators Respond by Proposing New Laws Easing Charter School Start-ups! =



= Rep. Tom Killion (R-Chester Count) introduced House Bill 1711, a bill that would allow charter schools to avoid a requirement that they apply to school districts for approval to set up. Charter schools would have the option of applying to the district or a state board. The board would include three appointees by the governor and four by legislative leaders of both parties. In a scaled-down version of his bill, only applicants in the lowest performing 10 percent of Pennsylvania schools would be allowed the option of applying to the board, Killion said. = = = =No votes has come so far, but insiders say Gov. Corbett is pushing hard for passage before the end of June, perhaps adding this legislation as an amendment to other proposals. Members of both parties have so far asked for more time to analyze the legislation before voting.=

=Such measures come as the Senate proposes to hold to the House Republican budget eliminating $224 million in state funding to public school districts for charter school reimbursement, as part of a nearly $1 billion cut in public education funding.=

= A [|study] released by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes in April 2011 = = shows that students in Pennsylvania charter schools on average make smaller learning gains in reading = = and math than their traditional public school counterparts. The Stanford study notes that strong= =examples of quality charters do exist in the state, but policymakers need to "drive quality throughout= =the sector.”=

=They found that students at nearly half of the charter schools made significantly lower learning gains in both subjects than their traditional public school counterparts. Researchers also reported what they described as "alarming" results among all cyber charter schools, which are online-only schools. The report said cyber students in Pennsylvania perform substantially lower than students at traditional public school in both subjects.=

=Pennsylvania currently has 135 charter schools and 12 cyber charter schools. H.B. 1711 would allow as= =many as 92 school districts – the lowest performing 10 percent of school districts on state standardized= =reading or math tests – to convert individual school buildings into charter schools.=

=Major Study Finds That Charter Schools Might Not Be Better Than Public= =Detroit Charter High Schools Underperform Public Counterparts, Analysis Shows= =PSEA PRESIDENT SAYS PROPOSED CHANGES TO CHARTER SCHOOL LAW UNDERMINE PUBLIC EDUCATION AND LOCAL CONTROL= =Charter schools on state's agenda= =Study questions state's charter school system=

= = = Fethullah Gulen Charter School Scandal! = =A network of more than 120 charter schools in the US (including one in Centre County, PA) have been opened by followers of a controversial Turkish preacher and are under federal investigation. (Turn up Volume. Bad Sound Quality.) = media type="youtube" key="TN04cOqLc9g" height="510" width="640" media type="youtube" key="lZtg9jfVZbo" height="510" width="853" =The Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania in State College is one of 120 charter schools opened by followers of Turkish preacher and Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen.= = A New York Times investigation raises questions about whether, ultimately, the schools are using taxpayer dollars to benefit the Gulen movement — by giving business to Gulen followers, or through financial arrangements with local foundations that promote Gulen teachings and Turkish culture. = = This underscores the vast latitude that many charter school systems have been granted to spend public funds. The rush to approve charter schools has meant that some states barely monitor charter school operations. = = A number of charter schools across the country have been accused of a range of improprieties in recent years, from self-dealing on contracts to grade-changing schemes and inflating attendance records to increase financing. = =Charter Schools Tied to Turkey Grow in Texas= =Education Is Not a Consumer Product= =Privitization of Public Education Turns Students into Corporate Assets=

= 2009 Stanford Study on charter Schools Finds Public Schools Often Educate Better =

=Major Study Finds That Charter Schools Might Not Be Better Than Public=

= [PDF] = =[|NEW //STANFORD// REPORT FINDS SERIOUS QUALITY CHALLENGE IN NATIONAL **...**]= =] [PDF] = =[|Executive Summary]=

=[|More on CREDO]=

=Pa. Lawmakers consider charter school changes= =Chicago Charters Ask Public Schools For More Money, And A Debate Takes Shape= =Public Schools, Private Budgets - How Charter Schools Spend Our Money= =New York City Can Close Schools, Open Charters in Public Buildings= =Costs of Deflation - Will proposed charter-school changes leave districts flat= =New Bill Aims to Maintain Diversity in Charter Schools= =Major Study Finds That Charter Schools Might Not Be Better Than Public= =Detroit Charter High Schools Underperform Public Counterparts, Analysis Shows= =[|Longer Charter School Days Didn't Raise Test Scores in Chicago]= =PSEA PRESIDENT SAYS PROPOSED CHANGES TO CHARTER SCHOOL LAW UNDERMINE PUBLIC EDUCATION AND LOCAL CONTROL= =Charter schools on state's agenda= =Study questions state's charter school system=

=Charter Schools Tied to Turkey Grow in Texas= =Education Is Not a Consumer Product= =Privitization of Public Education Turns Students into Corporate Assets= =News= =home=