Report shows fourth-grade students in N.J. public, charter schools have same passing rates, By Rohan Mascarenhas, November 10, 2010, Star-Ledger: “Some public schools in Newark are among the best in the city, performing as well as charters in certain areas, according to the annual Kids Count survey to be released today. Comparing test scores and demographic data, the report found public schools had the same passing rates on average as charters at the fourth grade level, thanks to a decade of significant academic gains. The data appears to contradict the prevailing assumption about the consistent high quality of charter schools and their reputation as a panacea. It also belies the rhetoric from politicians and educators that Newark schools are uniformly bad…”
Newark rents rise, incomes are stagnant, and more kids on food stamps, report shows, By Rohan Mascarenhas, November 11, 2010, Star-Ledger: “A study released today painted a grim picture of social and economic struggles in the state’s largest city. Rents in Newark have spiked, and more city kids are on food stamps, while income levels are remaining stagnant, according to the annual Kids Count survey published by the Advocates for Children in New Jersey. The report found that median rents rose 22 percent between 2005 and 2009. At the same time, the average income for Newarkers increased only one percent. Compiling statistics on welfare and demographic data, the survey offers a snapshot of the recession’s impact in Newark, where the unemployment rate hovers around 15 percent. Over the past five years, the number of Newark children on food stamps has jumped sharply, rising 33 percent, the report said…”
Study: Charter school growth accompanied by racial imbalance, By Nick Anderson, February 4, 2010, Washington Post: “Seven out of 10 black charter school students are on campuses with extremely few white students, according to a new study of enrollment trends that shows the independent public schools are less racially diverse than their traditional counterparts. The findings from the Civil Rights Project at UCLA, which are being released Thursday, reflect the proliferation of charter schools in the District of Columbia and other major cities with struggling school systems and high minority populations. To the authors of the study, the findings point to a civil rights issue: ‘As the country continues moving steadily toward greater segregation and inequality of education for students of color in schools with lower achievement and graduation rates,’ the study concludes, ‘the rapid growth of charter schools has been expanding a sector that is even more segregated than the public schools…'”
Report: Racial gap grows in charter schools, By Emily Gersema, February 8 2010, Arizona Republic: “The racial gap is widening with the increase in charter schools in Arizona and other states due to a lack of regulation and enforcement of existing civil-rights regulations, a group of researchers based at the University of California-Los Angeles said in a new report. The UCLA Civil Rights Project report, ‘Choice Without Equity,’ revealed what researchers deemed a troubling pattern of racial stratification in charter schools across the country. They said they believe state and federal intervention can turn the trend around. Gary Orfield, the project’s co-director, said the Obama administration’s recent grant programs, such as Race to the Top, and charter-school grants that encourage the expansion of charters and development of new ones, are a timely opportunity for regulation…”
Georgia’s charter schools see gains educating diverse students, By D. Aileen Dodd, January15, 2010, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “An annual report on Georgia’s charter schools in 2009 found that many of the campuses were outperforming surrounding schools even though the charters enrolled large populations of poor students. The report released at a Georgia Board of Education meeting this week showed that most charter schools, which enroll higher concentrations of African-Americans, Asians and poor students on average, are seeing gains on standardized test scores…”
Graduation rate drops at D.C. charter schools, By Michael Birnbaum, January 16, 2010, Washington Post: “The graduation rate for D.C. charter schools dropped nearly five percentage points, to 83.3 percent, for the 2008-09 school year, officials said Friday. The rate is still higher than that of regular D.C. public schools, which announced last week that theirs had increased 2.6 percentage points, to 72.3 percent, in the 2008-09 school year. Charter school officials said they were not worried, and they attributed the decrease to improved tracking…”
