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Charter Scrutiny Guarantees Quality, Accountability
By Jeanne Allen
Letter to the Editor submitted to the New York Times
January 15,2004
To the Editor:

The charter review covered in the article, “Report Faults Charter Schools in New York,” 1/13/04, was not a blow to the record of charter schools, but a ringing endorsement of their success.

These first schools up for contract renewal underwent rigorous standards to determine if their programs were meeting the high expectations their authorizer – the State University of New York – had in mind when it approved them. The process is a stark contrast to how traditional public schools evolve over time. The result was that two schools were approved to continue because they made academic progress with students. But SUNY made the renewals contingent upon some changes that they thought would solidify the achievement already being made. It is unfortunate that the third school did not meet the standards of academic excellence that would allow it to be renewed. While this is uncomfortable and disruptive for many, that’s a small trade off for a guarantee of excellence that parents can expect in NY charter schools under such intense scrutiny.

Would that the same could be said for the city’s 1,200 non-charter public schools over which parents have little choice. Imagine if all city schools were required to live by the same standards set by the chartering authority and reviewed for continuance or closure with the same level of scrutiny.

Verifiable data shows that charters are making greater gains than comparable schools. Among all 4th graders, the number of charter schools with a higher passing rate than their host districts almost tripled between 2002 and 2003. Fourteen of fifteen charters authorized by SUNY made significant improvement between 2002 and 2003, and more than their host districts.

The Brookings Institution’s research found nationally that in the first two years of their contract, charters see a slight dip, but that dip is reversed and progress is greater after year three, most notably because the charters have helped children who came in behind get turned around more quickly.

There is more data on the record of charter schools. It is important that the review process of these first three charters be considered in light of these factors, and not as an isolated event.

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