Charter schools in Massachusetts are number one—at suspending students.

[madfloridian]

From the National Education Policy Center NEPC mailing today. EduShyster telling the real truth about what charter schools do on a large scale...that which public schools can not do.

These Charter Schools Are #1

First, a little context for your edu-fication. You see, charter schools are public schools, (unless their teachers want to join a union in which case they suddenly become private.) And because they are public the state collects reams of data about their students, their incredible shrinking classrooms and their 100% graduation rates.Tragically, reporters and state edu-crats are banned from viewing this information which means that the data often feel very lonely. And that, dear reader, is why it is so important that we have edu-bloggers.

The blogger who writes An Education thought it would be interesting to see what Massachusetts schools suspend the highest number of students. Here’s what she found:


Roxbury Preparatory Charter: 56.1%
Grove Hall Preparatory Charter: 50%
City on a Hill Charter: 43.6%
Up Academy Charter Boston: 38%
New Leadership Charter: 36.6%
Boston Preparatory Charter: 35.1%
Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter: 32.1%
Holyoke: 27.3%
Edward Brooke Charter: 24.9%
Hampden Charter School of Science: 24.7%
Codman Academy Charter: 23.5%
Spirit of Knowledge Charter: 22.8%
Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School of Excellence: 22.5%
Edward Brooke Charter 2: 22.4%
Boston Green Academy Horace Mann Charter: 19.4%
Community Charter School of Cambridge: 19.4%
Fall River: 18.4%
Berkshires Arts and Technology Academy: 18.1%
Excel Academy Charter Chelsea: 17.9%
Franklin County Regional Vocational Technical Institute: 17.6%

Just for some perspective on the suspension rates..."The suspension rate for the entire Boston Public Schools, by the way, is 5%."

How convenient for charter schools to be able to suspend so freely.

Oh, and BTW...the blogger mentioned how charter schools also have the convenience of getting public money..then later denying they are public. Here is an excellent example of when a "public charter school" suddenly calls itself a "private" school to avoid teachers unionizing.

Chicago charter school claims to be private so teachers won't unionize. Got 23 million public money

Another Chicago charter has claimed it's a "private" school in order to stop its teachers from unionizing. The school has received $23 million in public funds since it opened in 2004. But eight months ago, a solid majority of the school's teachers voted to organize. The school's board, with backing from the charter school association and the Civic Committee, decided to spend tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees in hopes of stalling off union certification.

"In papers filed with the National Labor Relations Board, attorneys for the Chicago Math and Science Academy on the city's North Side say the school should be exempt from an Illinois law that grants employees of all public schools the right to form unions for contract negotiations. -- Tribune"

[madfloridian]

1. Roxbury Preparatory Charter: 56.1% Grove Hall Preparatory Charter: 50%

Over half the two schools suspended.

[No Elephants]

2. Roxbury and Grove Hall are both some very depressed neighborhoods, too, though

Roxbury was going some gentrifying before the economy tanked.

[madfloridian]

4. The very neighborhoods that should NOT be suspending so many.

If charter schools are supposed to help such neighborhoods, that is the wrong way to go about it.

[Enthusiast]

3. This is some education strategy.

Just eliminate your worst performing students. This will reflect positively on the teaching staff when it comes to evaluating school performance. If only public schools could do the same. Geesh.

[madfloridian]

5. Just imagine. Once public schools are depleted of resources...

where will all those suspended kids go?