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Charter School Brain Drain Listen to story (Real Audio)
POST ON: Laura, he does the whole thing where you tell someone you want to tell them something but then you can?t tell them. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: These students are lucky to have a seat in this class, which boats that 100% of its students are accepted into college. There are 14-hudnred students on a waiting list for this charter school. Statewide more than 20,000 families are on waiting lists for these public schools that operate independently of any school committee and primarily serve low income and minority students. Kathleen Sullivan executive director of Collegiate, says the long waiting list shows demand is strong especially in urban areas such as Boston. KATHLEEN SULLIVAN: There is an absolute need to have more schools like ours so there?s nothing we would want more than to be able to grow and have more Boston Collegiates. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: But there probably won?t be, because a few years ago the founder was lured to New York. Brett Peiser is now the Managing Director at Uncommon Schools a network of 11 charter schools there. Peiser says New York?s Mayor and Chancellor of Education encouraged him to come and scale up his model of education. BRETT PEISER: There?s a general support of charter schools that it?s we and not us versus them, and what?s unfortunate in Boston there?s a tendency to feel like every legislative period you?re sort of under attack about what?s gong to happen this year to charter schools this year. In New York City it?s a much different environment where you really are part of the public school system. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: In Massachusetts, charters are part of the public school system and are funded by public money, but they are criticized by teachers unions and school districts because they believe they siphon off money and the best students. This tension has prompted the legislature to maintain a cap on the number of charters. As a result, over the past 5 years, New York has recruited the founders from some of the best performing schools in Boston including Roxbury Prep, City on a Hill, and the Academy of the Pacific Rim. JIM PEYSER: We are literally losing some of our very best educators not just in the charter sector but across the entire public education system. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: Jim Peyser, former chair of the Massachusetts Board of Education is concerned about the trend. He?s now a partner with NewSchools Venture Fund, a nonprofit that supports charter schools. JIM PEYSER: In places like New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans and the District of Columbia you will find city administrations and school district who are embracing charter schools as a central part of their own reform strategy. Here in Boston and in Massachusetts generally that is not the case. They are sort of warring parties that are sitting across from one another that basically don?t talk to each other and when they do talk it tends to be relatively hostile. PAUL REVILLE: I think there?s not much evidence, I mean that?s sort of a generic accusation about a hostile climate. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: Education Secretary Paul Reville. PAUL REVILLE: But when you look at the facts we have only slightly more than half of the possible number charters that are available have been utilized thus far. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: While there is space for more charter schools in suburban districts, it?s in the urban areas where there?s more demand, and they are at or near the cap. The debate over the cap on charter schools has come back into focus because Governor Deval Patrick did not include lifting it in his 10 year education plan. Instead he proposed Readiness Schools, which will be similar to charters but would be accountable to the local school committee and there wouldn?t be a cap. Reveille says the focus should be on Readiness School. PAUL REVILLE: We believe the these schools are an opportunity to take the best principals and practices behind charter schools and make them more broadly available to students all across the Commonwealth at a pace that far exceeds the glacial place with which charter schools have been developing in recent years. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: The state may be setting up a war between Charter and Readiness schools by suggesting it may freeze charter school expansion in districts that accept Readiness schools. That battle will engage top education leaders and the state says it?s confident there will be enough talented people to lead the next phase of education reform in Massachusetts. For WBUR I?m Monica Brady-Myerov
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