Senators to Vote Tomorrow on Charter Cap Bill!

Dear Colleagues, We've learned that House Bill 4108, which would, among other things, lift the cap on charter schools in so-called "underperforming districts" is scheduled to come up at a caucus of Democratic senators Thursday (that's tomorrow) at noon.  Votes can still change after that, but if you have an opinion on this and you haven't talked to your senator yet, today would be an excellent day to call. Talking with an aide is fine too.   CPS's June 2013 report, Twenty Years After Education Reform: Choosing a Path Forward To Equity and Excellence For All, includes a full chapter devoted to the facts on charter schools in Massachusetts. Click here to download the full report. (See Chapter 4 for information on charter schools.) Click here to download the executive summary. The report found that Commonwealth charter schools have not contributed to equity of educational quality and resources: Charter schools enroll a much smaller percentage of English language learners and students with significant disabilities than their sending districts. A widely quoted study that favors charter schools shows higher scores only for specific grades (middle school) and student subgroups, but not for elementary or high schools, ELLs, or charter students in their first year. Though a goal of the charter school movement was to spark innovation, urban charters have gravitated toward a "no excuses" approach, which means long hours in school, precise rules for behavior, and severe discipline for breaking even minor rules, such as wearing the wrong color socks. Many urban charter schools report very high out-of-school suspension rates and continue to show much higher attrition rates than their district school neighbors. While some charter high schools with a large percentage of low-income students score high on MCAS, these schools rank much lower on the SATs. What's more, research indicates many students from high-scoring charter schools do not fare well in college. The average Massachusetts charter school loses one-third to one-half of its teaching staff each year, compared to the state average, which ranges from 13 to 22 percent. Note: Proponents of lifting the cap on charters argue that charters don't have greater attrition than district schools, but the data shows otherwise. Click here for a compilation of the data comparing Boston charter schools attrition rates with that of district schools.     Best regards, Lisa Guisbond Executive Director Citizens for Public Schools 617-730-5445 lisa.guisbond@gmail.com