Charter schools press Durham’s district schools

[riversedge]

I ran across this tweet. I do not live in NC but we have the same problem in WI--tea party legislators and a Gov who wants to load up the state with voucher-charter schools. I really do fear for our public schools.


Robert Cruickshank ‏@cruickshank 3m

Charter schools are not progressive RT @mdawriter: Charter schools in Durham lead to resegregation of public schools. http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/02/01/3582773/charter-schools-press-durhams.html …
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Charter schools press Durham’s district schools

By Ned Barnett

February 1, 2014

Charter schools were supposed to be laboratories for change in public schools, but in Durham County the experiment is spinning out of control.

The county is being flooded with charters to an extent that has undermined the district school system, a system that charters are supposed to improve by providing competition and testing new approaches to instruction.

Durham County is home to 10 charter schools, with an 11th opening in August. Six more Durham-based charters have applications pending with the state to open in 2015. In addition, the Durham Public Schools must pay for more than 300 students who attend 19 other charters outside Durham County.

Charters have become so pervasive that 12.5 percent of the county’s school-age children attend charters, compared with 3.3 percent statewide......

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/02/01/3582773/charter-schools-press-durhams.html#storylink=cpy

[zazen]

1. yet several Durham charters are predominantly African-American

For whatever reasons, it seems like many of Durham's African-American community is segregating its children into charters, perhaps because like with HBCUs, they feel the environment is more supportive. That's certainly true in Raleigh.

I'm withholding judgment here. I despise the corporate charters, but some of the public charters in NC are outstanding, with very progressive curricula (like reading Howard Zinn for US History). They could never have done that through a normal school system. Yes, it does privilege some kids because transportation isn't provided. I'm mixed on all of it. But corporate reforms are screwing up our district schools. In addition to being bled by our GOP, they're also screwed up by Democratic centrist policies that result in such idiotic curricular decisions that I'd home school my kids if I could (I've been around ed policy for 20 years so I don't say this lightly).

And Durham Public Schools have awful administrative problems. If I lived there (which I don't, precisely because I don't want to deal with their school system), I'd get my kids out.

I can't fight the Race to the Top nonsense on my own here in Wake Co, so getting my kids out and into public charters is priority number one. And I've succeeded. They'll make good adult activists as a result of getting out of the lockstep, corporatist, penitentiary-like mainstream schools, and maybe I can make up for my liberal guilt that way. I just wish everyone who wanted to could have a slot in a small, progressive, charter school. We got lucky.

[joeglow3]

2. We are looking at charters here and I am about to say "fuck it"

Everyone is in agreement that our state's largest schools district (Omaha) is not in the best of shape. There have been ideas floated by state senator Ernie Chambers (allow greater local control), the state legislature (a "Learning community" to allow inner cities to draw property revenue from the suburbs), and many other groups. The school board has fought any change and keeps telling us they have plan and we just need to give them time. Years later, this "plan" hasn't been communicated with any specificity and there has been no improvement. The idea of not-for-profit charters has come and we are getting the same reponse from the school board. I am just about at the point to say "screw it. It can't get any worse."