The Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York (SUNY) has recommended that two of New York State's first three charter schools, which were opened five years ago under the state's 1998 charter law, should be granted only partial renewal because of mixed academic results, and that the third should be closed because, based on the "totality of evidence . . . the Institute has determined that the school is not an academic success, that it is not an effective, viable organization, and that its fiscal soundness is marginal." Unsurprisingly, David Ernst of the state School Boards Association, which is seeking a moratorium on charter schools in New York, exulted that this news "has to be discouraging to charter school advocates." Quite the contrary. The Charter Schools Institute is modeling the proper behavior of a conscientious charter-school sponsor. As Bill Phillips of the New York Charter Schools Association remarks, "These are good recommendations because you can see a clear link between academic performance and consequences. We've talked about accountability for five years now and this shows we mean it. . . . Ultimately, you have to earn the right to educate children." The SUNY board of trustees will vote January 27 to determine the ultimate fate of these three schools. They'll probably follow the Institute's advice. Would that more of America's hundreds of other charter sponsors were equally scrupulous and results-focused. Much of the press got this story wrong - they cannot or won't distinguish between good authorizing and bad schools. The right headline is this: "Only effective charter schools get to continue taking taxpayer dollars to educate children." Why isn't that the rule for 'regular' public schools, too?"
"None of N.Y.'s 1st three charter schools gets full renewal," by Michael Gormley, New York Newsday, January 12, 2004
"State: School sags, revoke its charter," by Joe Williams, New York Daily News, January 13, 2004
"Report faults New York's first 3 charter schools," by David Herszenhorn, New York Times, January 13, 2004 (registration required)
"School looks to the future with renewed mission," by Rick Karlin, Albany Times Union, January 14, 2003
"Charter School Authorizing: Are States Making the Grade," by Louann Bierlein Palmer and Rebecca Gau, Thomas B. Fordham Institute