The most important thing we came up with? EARLY INTERVENTION! While we strongly believe that revising the application process (see below) will result in a stronger pool of new charter schools, we recognize that it is still possible for schools to experience significant difficulties in the first few years of operation. Therefore we also recommend that the Board provide new, struggling charter schools with opportunities for early improvement. This would most likely take the form of more focused and frequent reviews in the first years of operation, as well as services and supports to help school leaders troubleshoot and problem-solve early on. This approach of “early intervention” has the potential to change the pattern of chronic failure that we have seen in the city’s current charter school landscape, without being punitive or making schools feel as though they need to put on a show for the Board. Currently, very few of our charter schools are meeting minimum benchmarks for student achievement and unfortunately, many of these schools have a long history of failure in this area. The charter school where one of us currently teaches is an example of such chronic failure. The school has been in operation for ten years now and during that time has not made AYP a single time. Although the school has been forced to create improvement plans to address concerns identified in charter reviews, no significant changes have occurred to further student achievement. Sadly, over these ten years, entire classes of students have gone from kindergarten to the sixth grade without the quality education they not only deserve, but so desperately need. If my school had the opportunities for significant improvement in its first years, we might have avoided years of under-educating this particular community’s young students. Perhaps by creating a better partnership between schools and the board, and if the board was involved in observing and supporting struggling charters without being seen as an entity to be afraid of and "trick" into thinking you are doing your job as a school, schools could improve early on and there would not be so many schools failing our students now.
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I strongly feel that adequate preparation is the most important component in the process of creating a successful public charter school. Education is a serious business. Universities and alternate certification programs spend years educating individuals on the processes and policies necessary in school systems. As a TFA teacher, I am aware that not all of the best principals and school founders have to come from a "traditional" educational path. However, I think there needs to be intense coaching and mandatory preparation before someone is allowed to take control of the education of hundreds of children. Because these school founders are allowed to make their own rules once they are granted permission to open a school, they absolutely have to be prepared to manage a financial entity and manage the student population they are working for in a productive and nurturing manner. This does not happen automatically with board approval, it has to come from detailed training and selective review processes.
ReplyDeleteEarly intervention is definitely one of the more important response strategies to assist any charter school in succeeding. Many elements, such as school culture, are especially imperative to get right early. For instance, at my school, school culture seems to have slipped to a very low level where cursing, fighting, and general disrespect have become the norm. It is exceedingly difficult to battle uphill when negativity has become ingrained.
ReplyDeleteThrough intervening early, I feel that the a negative school culture is less likely to become entrenched (and seemingly irreversible). This, in turn, makes success all the more possible.
I absolutely agree that early intervention is an important strategy to help struggling charter schools. As a teacher, however, I wonder how much teacher voice is incorporated in the discussions about what is causing the charter school to "fail" and what can be considered and implemented to help the struggling schools succeed. As educators on the frontlines, we often have valuable input to give on what might be done to help our struggling schools. I think it is essential to add teacher voice to any discussion of reform.
ReplyDeleteI agree early intervention and leader/teacher preparation is key! I think of my school and both of these factors have helped bring about many of the perceived problems we have. I also think that the PCSB has a perception issue they need to work on. Schools tend to "trick" schools during their regular (yearly) reviews because they feel harsh sanctions. If the PCSB was more present and aware of the reality of the schools by more regular and routine observatoin/guidance session, perhaps the relationships between the two groups could grow more productive.
ReplyDeleteI believe that early intervention is absolutely key for these struggling charter schools. As a teacher myself, however, I have to wonder how often teachers are consulted with regards to what needs to be improved in these struggling schools. As the ones with the most experience in the specific school setting, I would hope that reform efforts would ask for teacher voice in what could be done to help the school. In my experience, teachers are never shy about telling you what the school/they/their students need...if only they are given the chance to use their voice and share.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this statement. Far too often, I hear that teachers are prompted to say things to board members and are given no consultation before improvement plans are constructed. I think that teachers should be given a safe and candid opportunity to share their feedback with charter board members. In addition, I think Chasity has a very good point. Teachers know their students better than anyone in the building. Teachers often struggle under pressure from administrative decisions, upon which they had no impact. I am currently fortunate enough to work for an organization that constantly requests teacher feedback and opinions. I really feel like my opinions are valued and that my knowledge of my students and their learning styles is well regarded in the decision making process. This has made a big impact on my teaching and my comfort level in expressing that I think something needs to be changed. When I go to a higher up, I know that my thoughts will be taken seriously even if a change is not made.
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