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Charter and Public School
Weekly column by one of our past state senators.
CHARTER SCHOOLS OFFER QUALITY, CHOICE FOR OHIO STUDENTS
From its beginning, our nation has recognized the value of education and its impact on the growth and development of our society. In 1787, as the United States began to expand westward through passage of the Northwest Ordinance, leaders called for educational institutions to be part of the settlement of this new territory. “Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged,” they proclaimed. While our country’s schools have changed dramatically in the last 200 years, the spirit of these words continues to be a driving force behind improving our education system and giving every student the opportunity to succeed.
Over the years, as our schools have evolved, so has our understanding of the different ways students learn. For instance, some students are visual learners while some learn better by listening. Some students may learn better in a single gender classroom—all boys or all girls—while others may perform better in a smaller or larger classroom. Every student has their niche, and in order to maximize a child’s educational experience, they need a variety of learning options.
Recognizing a need to provide Ohio students and their families with more educational options within and outside the state’s public school system, in June 1997, the 122nd General Assembly passed House Bill 215, legislation permitting the establishment of community schools in Ohio. Community schools, or “charter” schools, are much like public schools in that they must accept all students, employ certified teachers, and are required to participate in state proficiency testing. However, many community schools provide students options that aren’t typically offered at traditional public schools. For instance, some charter schools have a special emphasis such as science, the arts or a back-to-basics curriculum, while others have been formed to serve the needs of a specific population, such as dropouts or at-risk children.
Since Ohio’s community school law was passed almost ten years ago, charter facilities have sprung up all over the state and many have turned out to be a tremendous success. According to the Ohio Department of Education Office of Community Schools, as of August 15, 2006, there were 299 charter schools operating in Ohio serving more than 70,000 students. This compares to 15 schools in 1998 serving 2,245 students.
Community schools are created through a contract that details the school’s mission, how the school will be operated, what will be taught and how success will be measured.
Every school board in Ohio has the ability to sponsor a community school by converting a portion of its district into a charter facility. Community schools may also be established by an entity other than a school board if this school is located in one of the Big 8 urban school districts, districts that are rated as academic watch or academic emergency, or in a school district in Lucas County, which was the original community school pilot project area. These other charter school sponsors include educational service centers, the board of trustees from any of Ohio’s thirteen state universities and a variety of non-profit organizations, among others.
Charter schools are also exempt from most laws that pertain to traditional public schools.
However, if a community school does not measure up to the terms of their contract, the agreement may be terminated and the school closed. In the last two years, legislators have made a number of reforms to increase accountability standards at Ohio’s charter facilities, including caps on the number of schools that a sponsor can open and new academic performance requirements. Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools must compete to stay afloat.
The hope is that this competition will breed success in the form of student achievement, because, if community school is not successful, students are free to leave and go to another school.
Last month, the Ohio Supreme Court issued a ruling as to the constitutionality of the state’s charter schools. Opponents contend that because community schools are able to operate with different standards, they were not part of the “thorough and efficient system of common schools” prescribed in the Ohio Constitution. However, justices ruled 4-3 that adding charter schools to the state’s public education system did not violate the Constitution.
Community schools aren’t perfect, but to ensure that every Ohio student receives a quality education, we must continue to offer choice in our schools. Since each student learns differently, a student should not be required to continue going to a school where their needs are not being met. Choice drives competition and competition breeds success.
In the end, I believe we all can agree that every child should be given the educational tools needed to be successful.
Toledo School for the Arts was rated 'Excellent' in 2006 by the Ohio Department of Education and was also one of only eight charter schools to be featured in the US Department of Education publication, Innovations in Education. TSA does not charge tuition. We are a state approved community school / charter school and we welcome students in grades 6 - 12 from school districts throughout the Toledo metro area and beyond. TSA excels at integrating the arts with standards-based academic studies. Would you like to join the TSA family and experience our success? It just takes three easy steps to start the enrollment process...
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. " By the Dalai Lama
Public Schools in Jeopardy
Education in Jeopardy
Why do a third of American high school students leave school without a diploma? What might help keep them in school, engaged and learning? A survey released in March 2006 put these and related questions to a group that isn’t usually asked for opinions on American education—high school dropouts.
Nearly 500 former students who had attended schools in 25 locations were polled. Researchers found that although some dropouts had faced academic problems, the overwhelming majority possessed the potential to graduate. Further, the students had strong and thoughtful opinions on what might have kept them in school.
Among the survey's major findings, as reported in The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives on High School Dropouts:
Why do students drop out?
· 47 percent of dropouts said classes weren't interesting
· 43 percent had missed too many days of school and couldn't catch up
· 38 percent said they had too much freedom and not enough rules in life
· 35 percent said they quit because they were failing in school
· 32 percent said they had to get a job and make money
What are dropouts' experiences in high school?
· 88 percent had passing grades, and 70 percent said they could have graduated if they had tried
· 69 percent were not motivated to work hard; 66 percent would have worked harder if more had been demanded of them
How do dropouts feel about their decision?
· 81 percent said they now believe graduating from high school is important to success in life
· 74 percent said if they were able to relive the experience, they would have stayed in school
· 47 percent agreed it was hard to find a good job without a diploma
What might have kept dropouts in school?
· 81 percent called for more "real-world" learning opportunities
· 75 percent wanted smaller classes with more individual instruction
· 71 percent favored better communication between parents and schools and more involvement from parents
The Silent Epidemic recommends steps that schools, families, communities, and government can take to improve the nation's high school graduation rate.
Please check out http://www.standup.org
http://www.Gatesfoundation.org
College Statistics
Ohio in 2003 - 79% of the kids graduated from high school only 31% were ready for college in 2002
56% of kids went directly into college after high school in 2002
56% of them graduated college within 6 years in 2003.
4th grade statistics
For reading the National Assessment of Education Progress measures the students achievement among states in the U.S.
On these tests the kids scored 36%, 59% on state test and scored #13 in the nation.
8th graders scored 30% in reading, 71% on state test, and scored a ranking of 38%.
Dropouts in Ohio
There were 39,894 that dropped out of school in 2002
42% Female
58% Male
4% Hispanic
64% Caucasian
32% African American
0% Native American
American Opinion
62% of people think the government should forbid students from dropping out of high school
55% say their dissatisfied with public schools.
52% believe that public schools have gotten worse in the last 20 years.
61% think the public school system is in crisis.
Facts: Every 9 seconds a student drops out of high school.
Indiana and Ohio are nicknamed the drop out factories. 1 out of 3 students won't make it to graduation.
Indiana just passed a lot that states that if a child under 18 drops out of high school they loose their drivers’ license or permit.
Our schools are ranked behind some of the poorest countries in the world.
We are ranked behind Poland, France, Germany, and Canada.
A high school dropout is 8x's more likely to land in jail than a high school graduate.
80% of U.S. Prisoners were high-school dropouts.
California pays $10,000 per student every year and they pay $34,000 per prisoner a year.
We have a choice to educate now or incarcerate later.
PARENT TOOL KIT
Young people need a quality education to succeed in today's demanding global economy.
Here are some steps you can take to STAND UP and ensure your teenager thrives in high school and beyond.
KNOW THE FACTS
America's young people are our nation's single greatest resource.
Yet many communities find themselves struggling to provide young people with the learning environments they need to succeed.
Here are some ways to find out about the quality of your child's school:
Website:
Each weekday morning the A&E Network offers commercial-free, copyright cleared educational programming. These programs cover a variety of topics suitable for grades 4 and higher. To check our current listing of A&E Classroom programs click on the link provided above. www.aetv.com/class/teachingmaterials/index.html
Here you'll be able to find valuable and detailed information about your school's graduation rate and test scores. You can compare your school to other schools.
You can even compare school districts on a regional and national level.
More websites: http://www.americaspromise.org
FIPP
I hope by reading this you can see what a crisis our education system is in. We must stay active in our children's education and try to change to make things better.
We can't stay the #1 world power if the next generation of children has no education.
We need to be vigilant in making sure everyone receives a high class education even if they live in a poor area.
"Any frontal attack on ignorance is bound to fail because the masses are always ready to defend their most precious possession - their ignorance. " by Hendrik Willem van Loon
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