Evaluating Bloomberg School Reform -- Do You Want to Buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

Sometimes I feel the current wave of educational reform promoting charter schools is little more than a scam perpetuated by entrepreneurs and politicians to privatize the public school system.

The New York City Department of Education recently released school report cards that included a college readiness measurement for the first time. According to a chart in the New York Times Metropolitan section (October 30, 2011) thirteen high schools had graduation rates of over eighty percent with less than ten percent of the graduates prepared to do college level work. The 135 new, smaller schools, created by Mayor Bloomberg as the leading edge of his school reform initiative on average, "graduate roughly 70 percent of students in four years. But just 12 percent of students who graduate are prepared for college. Similar schools founded before Bloomberg became mayor and started to reorganize the entire school system shutting down what he considered to be underperforming schools have on the average a 64 percent graduation rate, but a higher percentage of their students, 17 percent, are considered college ready."

The most egregious case was the New Heights Academy Charter School on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, whose high school received a progress report grade of "A" for 2010-2011. It serves students from Harlem, Inwood, and Washington Heights.

According to information on its website, the New Heights Academy opened in 2006 as the first charter school in community school district 6. It opened with 192 students in grades 5 and 9 but now includes a high school and with 760 students is the largest charter school in New York City. Its student body is 100 percent Black and Hispanic and 95 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced priced lunch. The school, which is chartered by New York State, prides itself on small class sizes, capped at 24 and its mandatory Saturday Academy which provides struggling students with extra academic support. The school website claims that 90 percent of its first senior class graduated, although the Department of Education website lists the graduation rate as 81 percent, which is still very high given the student population.

One reason for the charter school's apparent success is the extra resources provided by its high-powered, influential, and affluent, Board of Trustees. It includes representatives from the law firm Bingham McCutchen, Goldman Sachs, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Time Warner, and NRG Energy.

According to the Charter School's mission statement, "All young people deserve access to an excellent education; however, not all students are afforded this opportunity due to inequities in the public school system. New Heights Academy Charter School was founded in 2006 to address this disparity by providing a college preparatory education in a safe and nurturing environment to students in grades 5-12 living in Washington Heights and Inwood. Our students participate in a rigorous academic program and take pride in learning how our core values of perseverance, responsibility, integrity, discipline, and enthusiasm will support them in their pursuit of challenging post-secondary education and career goals. New Heights Academy Charter School is where success happens every day!"

These are certainly laudatory goals. But what is the reality? Only 21 percent of the school's students read at or above grade level, which is especially troubling because its incoming class actually performed better than students already in the program. Only 42 percent perform at grade level in mathematics.

But the worst figure is the schools performance on the college readiness assessment. According to CUNY college tests, only 1.1 percent of its graduates were actually prepared to do college level work without remediation. This is for a charter school that received a grade of "A" from New York City Department of Education assessors.

How long are the people of New York and the United States supposed to put up with what appears to be a charter school scam?

Does anybody at the DOE want to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

 

 

 

Comments

[Elijah Bey]

11:59 AM on 12/06/2011

My peers are pointing out nothing but facts. Almost all teachers just stand infront of the class looking at us and teach what ever they please. Because no matter what they do, they are getting that check every two weeks. so they pretty much try and teach us a bunch of bs and then lie about it infront of our parents saying "this is how we prepare your for college.... we want nothing but the best for you" and then when work isnt done they make us look like criminals and play the vctims. you cant expect work on a subject that you did not teach. i have known that all teachers get paid no matter what they do in class since 8th grade so ive pretty much been on my own and finding my way.

[GiraC]

12:49 AM on 12/05/2011

Everything that has been said by my fellow classmates from university heights is true. The teachers just teach to get paid. They dont prepare of for college life, they just want to pass us so the school can get funds and get a grade A in their report cards. Honestly i can say that they dont care about our education. Which sucks because there are alot of us that want to make something out of ourselfs. How long is it going to take for others to start noticing that Charter Schools is just another way or another tactic to gain more money regardless of the percentage of students that are ready for college..

[Lissethroa]

02:24 PM on 11/30/2011

Charter schools and publics school all types of school no matter of how rich or how poor the students may be we should all have the same equal learning experience as well as treatment. University Heights High School is a public school with so many smart kids but surrounded by bad teachers and resources. In each of my classes theirs about 30 to 35 kids in a very small room with one teacher for us all. I'm a senior now and im working on my Pbats and i have been doing all the work by my self because my teacher according to him " has to many kids and is to busy for me". I have been waiting or 3 weeks now for him to help me and still he havent even opened my note book. It sucks how just because i attend a public or " low income school" my education is not as good as other schools. Public school are filled with teachers that just get paid and sit give us a piece and paper and senior year get up shake our hand and kick us out.Is so unfair and the difference of treatment and education are so obvious how we get the left overs and go to college without knowing anything.

[Crisbelle]

12:57 AM on 11/30/2011

It doesn't matter if its a Charter Schools or a Public Schools, we the students of the public school have the right to the same learning experience and the same guidance in which a Charter School has. i hate how we the public school students have to go to school and work hard to even try to get a 65 mean when in charter school they just posting an 80 and 90 to most students.Just because of the name charter school and there suppose to be getting those grades because their education is better which is just a lie we are suppose to believe. Charter or private schools are no different from public schools. We all receive the same education. In fact, you may get a better education from a public school then you will from a charter school. this article help me look at this education system in a whole new way, i was always told growing up that charter schools were better and advanced and their education is on different and more challenged level to find out we are all on the same boat, if not we are being taught more, better and have teachers who more involve.

[Channal Santana]

09:39 PM on 11/29/2011

This is basically saying that they want to shut down all public schools and make more charter and private schools , In this economy we don't have enough money to be paying for the kids that go to public school to go to charter schools. This make no difference because in every school we all get educated differently. So they should stop what there doing and let public school stay.

[Bibi Maritza Santos]

06:34 PM on 11/22/2011

I'm feed up with education beign a fraud. It upsets me that i have to sit in schools for hours working hard trying to receive the grade I should earn, when in charter school they just posting an 80 and 90 to most students. just recently in my school University Heights HS , My English Teacher failed 75 percent of the senior body, even if we had his 15 journals and typed essays. we failed because we didn't go online and press START on our PBAT tour. One of my class mates was furious about this situation and wanted at least a compromise to be done with the grades because lot of work was put in by the students and a 55 is'nt just fair. As the incendent is brought to my principals attention all she can do is make herself sound as the victim and respond "We will TRY to figure it out". Until this day that 55 is still in everyone report card. the reason why i bring this siation up is to compare it with charter schools. In my school they teach us as if we was college students, well most teachers, but our grades are not just given out like free coupons we need to fight for it.

Charter school are graded "A" and are well fund and supplied, and each class has a student body of less then 30.

continuation..... next post

[Bibi Maritza Santos]

06:21 PM on 11/22/2011

My school is a "A" school as well but is PUBLIC, not well fund and less supplied then Charter schools, And in every class there's about 30 students and one teacher, to teach for 45 minutes. As hard as we fight and argue with our teachers we get well educated by SOME Teachers to get ready for college. Pablo is one of our teachers, and our college adviser isn't. I just think that if the DOE wants to grade school, they should interview Students and compare their answers to the teachers,principals and school staffs. the difference of opinion will make a difference.

BibiMHerrera UHHS Senior

[Bibi Maritza Santos]

06:18 PM on 11/22/2011

I'm feed up, and i never get tired of saying the same. Education is a fraud. Why em i sitting here working my behind trying to get everything done on time, when there's students that don't work as hard and are given good grades? This must upset everyone from my School University Heights, Because just recently my English teacher Failed 75 percent of the senior body, just because we didn't go online and press starts to our PBAT tour. then again all journals and written paper he wanted was completed. It had everyone furious but when one of the students question the principal about the Indecent, her respond was " We are going to TRY to figure out, was going on". There was never an answer to this concern. The reason why i bring this situation up, and try to compare it with charter school is because these schools are well supplied and fund, and its an "A" school, and not when college the first college semester starts none are prepared.

continuation.... next post BibiMHerrera

[justbeingshelzz]

03:35 PM on 11/21/2011

It makes no sense opening charter schools and not preparing for the real world. Charter schools dont offer a lot. They are basically full of empty promises.

[Jeury Mateo]

11:23 AM on 11/16/2011

So you want to open up a whole bunch of charter schools and then not prepare them for college? everyone has the illusion that charter schools offer better education but in the end its all the same. As the article stated only one percent were ready for the test and had to take remedial. The charter school truly is a scam and you are better off putting your child in a public school.

[mjoserodriguez]

11:59 PM on 11/14/2011

Although I do agree with you on the subject of the constant aggrandizing of the charter system, I also believe that schools are not completely liable for this lack of college preparation. When it all comes down to the students readiness the main variable is the student themselves. Indeed the schooling system does have a certain level of influence on the scholar, but most schools whether charter or public usually have a large focus on test taking skills rather then preparation for collage. In my opinion the scam wouldn't just be false advertisement, it would be having people pay for something that should be free in the first place.

[Josue Sanz]

10:48 PM on 11/14/2011

its very clear what their trying to do here their trying to close down public education and make more charter and private school their basically trying to shut down public education which i think is wrong because public education helps all those who need it.

[Desyre Urena]

10:38 PM on 11/14/2011

This opened my eyes in a whole new perspective. Growing up to this age, I always thought Charter schools were more advanced than any other schools. Now, I realize that some charter schools are even worse than Public schools, which is very dreadful. I also agree in the fact that many high schools just want to rush students out of high school, without ensuring they are ready for college. As a High school student myself, I believe that I do not get the proper help that I need and I am not even a slight ready for college being a Junior graduating in 2013.I believe this is a very important message for ALL students that actually do want to go to college and be successful . This article opens my eyes in many different ways, showing me that I need to prepare my OWN self for college.

[Ethan40000]

09:21 PM on 11/14/2011

I think everyone should be taught the same in any type of school they're in. No one type of school should have a better educational system. Private schools and Charter schools should teach students the same way they would teach students at a public school, but that's not the case. Public schools do not have as many resources as charter schools. If public schools had as much or more resources they're would be no difference in education.

[Jaquinna]

08:41 PM on 11/14/2011

Wow. This is amazing. Charter or private schools are no different from public schools. We all receive the same education. In fact, you may get a better education from a public school then you will from a charter school. The teachers in charter school don't really worry about how far the students progress or if their prepared for college material. In public schools you may find some teachers that care about you and push you until you can't go any further. Its always some sort of guidance where you feel comfortable in knowing you receiving a well education. These charter schools aren't even prepared enough to send their students to college. When ever we need help we can go to our teacher the same day. Why have to go to school on our day off to get taught what you didn't understand in class. Public schools has higher percentages of graduates and even those that are ready for college. It is an idea too further look into because charter schools are not all successful. Just because of the learning environment or "different" school curriculum!