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Are
Charter Schools Working for Minorities? |
In an environment where traditional charter opponents are questioning
the validity of statistics surrounding high school graduation rates, the time
is now for charter schools to display there mettle and say they are about
more than just standardized tests. The September 2002 issue of “AFT
on Campus” criticizes the methods that are used to ascertain the nation’s
current high school graduation rates. With over 9% of eligible 18-24 year
olds receiving either GED’s or alternative high school credentials (NCES,
2000), high school “completion” rates are more commonly used to
identify the nation’s progress in secondary education. These numbers
mask the growing epidemic amongst minorities who are not graduating with accredited
diplomas. This creates a golden opportunity for charter schools to step forward
and reveal their successful high school graduates, particularly their strong
number of African-American and Hispanic students.
In researching the charter schools that are associated with the 50 largest
school districts in the nation, “Are Charter Schools Working for Minorities?”
will attempt to show the correlation between graduation rates of minorities
enrolled in charters, comparing these numbers with the both the state and national
percentages as supplied by Dr. Jay Greene, Senior Fellow, The Manhattan Institute
for Policy Research (2002). This work will illuminate the progress that charter
schools have made not only in the education of the nation’s youth in urban
areas, but will calm the voices of opposition arguing that charters are not
doing their share for minorities. Tune into the July Edition of the NCSC Review
to read the full article.
Sources:
Greene (2002). www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_baeo_tl.htm
Aft On Campus www.aft.org/publications/on_campus/sept02/clips/html
NCES Stats http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/droput/MethodOfCompletion.asp
Brian Schmidt is a second year graduate student in Villanova University’s
Educational Leadership program, with a concentration in public administration.
Brian spent two years teaching in private and public schools in New Orleans,
LA and Binghamton, NY respectively.
