“Parents today have to ask many questions when deciding whether to send their child to a public school or a charter – but years after the introduction of charter schools, answers aren’t so clear-cut.
Does one type of school outperform the other? If not, what accountability measures are in place to ensure better performance? How much does proximity matter – and should it matter at all?
Depending on who is asked, opinions vary greatly.
Broken promises?
Charter schools are tuition-free schools, open to any student and funded with public dollars based on the number of students enrolled. Charters are managed by private companies or nonprofit organizations and governed by an appointed board with oversight from a sponsor, currently Ball State University or the office of the mayor of Indianapolis.
Fort Wayne has three charter schools – Imagine Schools on Broadway, Imagine MASTer Academy and Timothy L. Johnson Academy. Parents at Harding High School are petitioning for that school to be converted to a charter school.
Originally, legislators established charter schools to foster innovation and offer another option for families who felt they weren’t being served by traditional public schools. Some regulations placed on public schools were relaxed to give charters more flexibility, said Bob Marra, director of the Office of Charters at Ball State University.
‘Charters were put in place to say, ‘What’s working here?” Marra said.
Jonathan Plucker, a researcher of charters at Indiana University, said he was excited about the charter school option because of the hope that it would create change.
‘The promise for me was they were going to be big drivers of innovation. That’s what got me excited,’ he said. ‘I just don’t think we’re seeing that right now.’
Comparison is tough
Research has yet to definitively show whether charters or public schools have better performance. Analyses are difficult because of a number of variables, including student poverty, English language learners and special-education students, Marra said.
Locally, data comparing charters to their neighboring public schools show few differences, especially when taking into account those variables.
But Jim Huth, principal at Imagine MASTer Academy, said he’s been tracking the growth of his students who have been at the school since they began. His claim: Those students outperform transfer students on the ISTEP+ standardized test, with a 70 percent versus 30 percent passing rate of both English/language arts and math.
Officials on both sides of the debate cite statistics to support their claims that one side outperforms the other, but little research exists proving either side’s point, especially at the local level.
According to a November 2010 survey by Braun Research for the Foundation for Educational Choice, only 17 percent of Allen County voters opposed charter schools .
Fort Wayne Community Schools board President Mark GiaQuinta said the “charters versus public schools conversation” is not about competition or which school outperforms the other, citing proximity as the main reason parents choose charter schools.
‘No matter where you put a school, it will be closer to someone,’ he said.
GiaQuinta also cited dramatic gains in public schools on standardized test scores. He said Fort Wayne Community Schools students are improving year after year at a higher rate than charter school students and the average Hoosier student.
‘We collaborate better. We use data better. We intervene appropriately and on a timely basis. Our test scores are better,’ he said. ‘We offer a better educational experience.’
However, a Stanford University study of charters across the state supports Huth’s research. The Center for Research on Education Outcomes study released last month shows Hoosier students in charter schools ‘make dramatically larger learning gains,’ according to the study’s summary.
The study looked at thousands of charter students in grades 4-9 and compared their test scores to those of public school students from the schools that charter students transferred from. In math, nearly 25 percent of charter schools outperform public schools.
But a closer look at those gains shows they are small, especially the achievement gaps between white and minority students, English language learners and students in poverty.
‘Indiana doesn’t see big differences (between charters and traditional public schools),’ said Plucker, the IU researcher. ‘There’s not a lot different going on in charter classrooms.’
Increasing accountability
While public schools have to measure up to certain state and federal accountability measures, charters and even private schools have “virtually no accountability,” said GiaQuinta.
Tony Bennett, the state superintendent, will admit that charters have not been held as accountable for low performance. He said the old charter law in Indiana didn’t provide the accountability needed for charters.
‘We need high-quality options,’ he said. ‘We should hold everyone accountable.’
He said legislation that includes options for parents like charters and vouchers is also important to public education.
‘There are children that aren’t getting their needs met. Circumstances in the 21st century require a range of options,’ he said. ‘It’s not about failing schools; it’s about providing each child the skills and tools they need to be successful.’
Language in House Bill 1002 establishes a state board that can grant charters to schools and revoke those charters for low performance. Charters also will be required to report to the board the same information, like test data, that school corporations report to meet state and federal regulations.
Plucker agrees that charters should be held more accountable for underperforming, questioning the purpose of charters if the schools are not producing the desired results.
‘I think leveling the playing field is good for the charter movement. It’s unquestionably the right thing to do,’ he said.
Parents make tough choices
Edward Jones is the parent of two students at Timothy L. Johnson Academy, a charter school on the city’s south side. Jones said it was an easy choice to send his sons, Quantez, 9, and Quantrell, 7, to the school because of its proximity to his home off South Anthony Boulevard.
‘It was basically a no-brainer to send them to Timothy L. Johnson instead of Village (Elementary School) because it was closer.’
Jones’ boys are among the 22,000 Hoosier children who attend charter schools. In Allen County, 2 percent of school-age children are enrolled in charter schools.
New legislation recently signed into law by Gov. Mitch Daniels will remove some restrictions on charters. The law also establishes an appointed board to hold charters more accountable.
Meeting needs?
Amy Tilbury is the mother of eight adopted children. Three are school-age and attend Imagine MASTer Academy at 2000 N. Wells St. Tilbury said she worked with charters around the country and likes them because they acknowledge that children have different learning styles and learn at different paces. This has helped her children, who have almost all been diagnosed with learning and emotional disabilities.
Mikila Cook, the parent of two children at Indian Village Elementary School, looked into charter schools as an option for her daughter, who she enrolled in Imagine Schools on Broadway when it opened in 2008.
‘The pitch was just so good,’ she said of why she chose the school. ‘The people that came to my door said I could get a private-level education at the price of public school. We’d never had problems with public schools; we just thought this was a better opportunity. I really thought we did our research.’
But Cook found the experience wasn’t quite what she expected. For the first week, her daughter was in a classroom with 30 desks for 41 kids. She said her daughter never received a workbook because there weren’t enough to go around.
‘I know it does take time, but with a small child, you can’t afford to wait for a school to get its bearings when your child needs to prepare for the ISTEP (Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress Plus) test. I couldn’t afford to stick it out,’ she said.
Tilbury said her children have attended public schools where some did well and others received failing grades.
‘I’m not for or against public schools. I don’t believe in that. I believe in quality,’ she said. ‘For us, looking at the environment, rules and expectations inside the school is how we determined where our children would be educated.’
She said MASTer Academy’s teachings of trustworthiness, honesty and respect aligned with what she was teaching at home.
‘They’re so well-connected with children and families. I love that they build relationships,’ she said.”
Article published on May 17 by the Fort Wayne News Sentinel