Charter School: High Tech High School Spring Chapter 6, 161

1. Charter School: High Tech High SchoolSpring Chapter 6, 161http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june08/hightech_04-17.html3:45 Opened in 2000 to address shortage of workers in high tech industries in San Diego. High tech competitiveness for the global economy.

2. Charter School: High Tech High SchoolSpring Chapter 6, 161 A Liberal Arts Charter High School “Discovery, “make and do”, “not sink or swim”, learn from failure, “students are psyched about science”, “not just read about it.” • Qualcomm donated $3 million • Students selected by lottery • Stresses independent and group work. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june08/hightech_04-17.html

4. Finland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcC2l8zioIw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlYHWpRR4yc&NR=1 What is the secret of Finland’s success?

5. 4 decades of reform • National common curriculum but it is brief (10 pages covers mathematics), and teachers in schools work on curriculum dev’t, assessments, and choose materials • 90% of students complete secondary school • 66% of students attend university • 98% of all costs at all levels covered by the government • All schools funded nationally at the same level • Teachers are unionized • Students are rarely tested on standardized tests (2nd, 9th, before college and include extensive writing) • Small schools (<300 students) • Caring attitude of teachers • Developed a “teaching and learning system” • Well trained teachers, 3 years graduate degrees, content, pedagogy, and 1 yr. practicum • “Thinking” academic curriculum • Pedagogy (group work, inquiry, research, independence of learning, fun) • Supports, including preschool, health, free lunch, special education, counseling • Summative (what do you know) and formative assessments (narrative, progressive, student assess themselves) of students • Action research, teachers conduct research in their classrooms • Multiculturality (avoid exclusion) • Continuous profession development for teachers

7. Why is the CENTRIST NEO-CONSERVATIVE view so influential? Charter schools help to simulate a free market system among schools. Competition would pressure schools to improve. Schools called monopolies, with no incentives to perform well. Test scores allow comparing schools Choice for parents. What is the impact of the charter school movement on public school reform in general?

8. Charter schools are: Alternative public schools and most educators believe that there is a place for a variety of public schools within a large system of public schools in order to serve the variety of needs, interests, and talents of all school students. Since the 1970s, there have been a very small number of alternative schools that have focused on: Science and technology Culture and languages Arts Bridge programs for at risk students

9. Right now, SCHOOLS HAVE A LONG LIST OF REGULATIONS RED TAPE BUREAUCRACY Red tape seen as a problem CHARTER SCHOOLS TODAY AVOID MOST OF THE RED TAPE

10. 2009 5,000 charter schools (725 for profit) that serve over 1 million studentsUS National School Population: 49 millionSpring, 159-167 Currently the US Department of Education is encouraging more charter schools. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT8OlWa5bGo DEFINITION Charter Schools are: Exempt from significant State and local rules that inhibit flexibility Free public schools Schools of choice and select students based on lottery Guided by specific objectives Compliant with anti-discrimination laws Required to take state tests Run by public or private groups AIMS Aim of charter schools is to foster innovation in teaching, curriculum and school organization. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w1b-8FV2qI Chicago Illinois RAUNER COLLEGE PREP

11. Charter SchoolsSupported by ideas of choice and competition with regularpublic schools. Education Secretary Arne Duncan Pushes to Aggressively Expand Charter Schools The President believes that investment in education must be accompanied by reform and innovation. The President supports the expansion of high-quality charter schools. He has challenged States to lift limits that stifle growth among successful charter schools and has encouraged rigorous accountability for all charter schools.

12. What are the main concerns about the growing push for expanding charter schools?

13. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KqT2gR5yLINew York Lottery What are the main concerns about the growing push for expanding charter schools? Serve a small population Vary in quality Draws resources from public schools Does not serve as many special needs students Draws highly motivated students out of public school Does not help to address problems in reforming all low achieving schools Many educators oppose for-profit companies running charter schools

14. What do studies show about student performance in charter schools?Spring reports an earlier study, same results. Almost all studies to date show no better performance in test scores of charter schools compared to local public schools. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyVfARs1eqU (ad) The best evidence comes from the CREDO (2009, Stanford University) study; Multiple studies suggest that most charters do as well as or less well than traditional public schools on achievement tests; only 17% outperform local schools There is some evidence on the positive impact of New York City charters but these show an under-enrollment of ELL and special education students that makes the comparisons to local schools difficult. BL: There are some very high performing charter schools (1 in 6)

15. Where do unions stand on charter schools?AFT strongly supports charter schools The American Federation of Teachers strongly supports charter schools that embody the core values of public education and a democratic society: • equal access for all students; • high academic standards; • accountability to parents and the public; • a curriculum that promotes good citizenship; • a commitment to helping all public schools improve; • a commitment to the employees' right to freely choose union representation.

16. There are many successful public schools, magnate schools, and charter schools What makes a successful school? • Many use some aspect of an inquiry based model of learning • All have positive learning environments • All have strong leadership • All have qualified teachers operating in a supportive, professional space

17. Charter Schools • Questions about High Tech High (Spring, and Video clip of PBS see video link on reading table) partnership with Qualcomm to create high tech workers. • Expensive • Selective, even with lottery • Doesn’t solve the public school challenge • Seemed to have a well rounded curriculum (calls itself a liberal arts high school) • Project based, individual and group projects • Collaboration encouraged • How can this school be so successful without being selective?

18. “Waiting for Superman” • Davis Guggenheim • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT8OlWa5bGo • “American public education is a failed system” • Money is not the problem. • Poverty is not the problem What is the problem? “Waiting for Superman” http://film.waitingforsuperman.com/videos Randi Weingarten, AFT President (1) http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/American-Federation-of-Teachers-Response-Video

19. What is your view of public lotteries for slots? • What does it mean to “flood the zone”

20. Myth of Charter Schools • Can be closed (only after contract expires, usually five years) • Same money as public schools--Most very successful charters have additional private financial support (SEED $35,000 per student and Harlem Children’s Zone $36,000) • HCZ are schools, but include has “wraparound services” (Dutro, 2) • A check on HCZ, has schools poor performing schools • Compare US and Finland But Finland invests in teachers, provides social welfare for children and families (< 5% live in poverty as opposed to 20-30% of children in US) (Ravitch, Darling-Hammond) • Charter schools serve parents, but parents have no voice in these schools—no school boards (Fine, 11)

21. WFS showed no union run charter schools • Solution: Fire bad teachers • Teachers account for 10-20% of scores • Environment accounts for 60% of scores • Get rid of Unions, they protect bad teachers • WFS Misrepresents NAEP- (Ravitch page 6) Proficiency means B Basic level means C grade level 25% students below basic nationally Kirshner, Geitner, Pozzoboni (2010) found students dropout or have lower achievement when local schools are closed. (Dutra, 5) Charter Schools have less well trained, lower paid teachers, higher teacher turnover (Fine, 11)