Message From a Charter School: Thrive or Transfer

[Elmore Furth]

So do Charter Schools cherry pick?

In 2008, when Katherine Sprowal’s son, Matthew, was selected in a lottery to attend the Harlem Success Academy 3 charter school, she was thrilled. “I felt like we were getting the best private school, and we didn’t have to pay for it,” she recalled.

And so, when Eva S. Moskowitz, the former city councilwoman who operates seven Success charters schools in Harlem and the Bronx, asked Ms. Sprowal to be in a promotional video, she was happy to be included.

In Matthew’s three years of preschool, Ms. Sprowal said, he had never missed time for behavior problems. “After only 12 days in your school,” she wrote the principal, “you have assessed and concluded that our son is defective and will not meet your school criteria.”

Matthew’s story raises perhaps the most critical question in the debate about charter schools: do they cherry-pick students, if not by gaming the admissions process, then by counseling out children who might be more expensive or difficult to educate — and who could bring down their test scores, graduation rates and safety record.

Message From a Charter School: Thrive or Transfer

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Private schools do this ALL THE TIME

But since it's not with tax dollars, that's okay.

It's appalling that so-called public schools do this.

[Roselma]

2. I went to Catholic schools...that is how it worked.

Otherwise, a bunch of underachievers or disruptive students would hurt the school's reputation. My brother's then-best-friend was underachieving. His parents were offered a full refund if they'd withdraw him mid-semester. If they waited until the next school year, a slot would not be available for him. They took their refund, and he went to public school. He grew up to be a businessman. Last I heard, he had a restaurant supply business, a McDonald's franchise and two nice restaurants. Obviously, being rejected at our school didn't doom him to a life of poverty.

[DebJ]

3. In my 8 years in Catholic school, underachievers were not

thrown out. We had one poor guy I used to help tutor in 8th grade who was still struggling to read on an 8th grade level.
Only one student was expelled, and that was for violent behavior.

There was never any feeling of concern over a school's 'reputation', but only for education and safety.

But then again, that was in the 1960s, when nuns taught at the schools, which insanely reduced expenses. I imagine nowadays
that costs make reputation important.

I got an outstanding education, by the way. There was never any interruption of class by disrespectful students. Students
did their homework. So simple, we just came there to learn. Funny how well that works.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. The Catholic high school my son attended did this

They kicked out a bunch of juniors every year before they could come back and graduate (or not) a year later.

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. Someone posted hard copy version of this on main office bulletin board....

.... in the school where I work.

Complete w. hiliting of most salient points.

Turns out it was a colleague who I thought was pro-"reform" and anti-union.

Every now and then people pleasantly surprise me.

Love it when that happens.