Charter Schools and Their Enemies
by Sowell, Thomas
Published: June 30, 2020
Read: June 27, 2021
Review
In NYC, charter schools absolutely crush public schools in educational outcomes when controlling for demographics. Despite that, charter schools have faced increasing scrutiny and regulation. This book is basically a complete research paper offering a withering attack against critics of charter schools. The data and methodology were pretty tedious in the beginning(especially for an audio book), but the latter chapters showcase some sharp argumentation. Sowell's book seems like a counter in a debate with derision of the existing leaders and system, but a clearly broken system makes me mad too. Ultimately, this is an indictment against the entire education system for avoiding accountability and competition. In the end, there is probably a more approachable, less comprehensive essay that can convey the same points.
Notes
People have their own ideas about why black has substandard education. Dunbar high school was a black high school that sent more to college than any other white high school. But the reason chosen was racial segregation and thus began the polarizing ineffective busing campaign. Discredit other ideas for the one they had chosen. Vouchers could cover tuition, tax credits, or home school or charter school. Educational outcomes as goal of charter schools. Some charter schools produce amazing results, others are failures like public schools are failures. Charter school success attacked by unions and more. NY has charter school waiting list but moving back from allowing it.
Chapter 1 comparison and comparability
Charter are either striking success or failed experiment. Began in 1990s. Now thousands of schools. Failed educational outcomes caused revoked outcomes. But charter schools are usually lottery to keep experiment valid. Charter school actually demographically different. White and Asian are in tradition and black and Hispanic are usually charter. Asian and white do much better and with higher incomes. Hard to tell difference of educational outcomes then between traditional and charter. Iowa scored higher than Texas. But Texas whites scored higher than Iowa white. Texas Hispanics, blacks, and Asians all performed better. But Iowa just had much more whites. Gross stats are comparable, need to compare actually similar schools.
Need three criteria in this book. 1) similar ethnic composition serving same locals 2) same building so same socioeconomic area 3) classes at same grade level . NYC is great for this. NYC has standardized tests with published ethnic test scores. Charter schools differ too, so how to cherry pick. Sample chosen are networks with 5 or more buildings and majority of black or Hispanic. All data provided though so you can investigate. KIPP and Success Academy and achievement first.
Chapter 2 Charter School Results
Many differences even between classes and charter schools etc. Level 1 -4 with 3 proficient. And 1 worst. Math builds on itself so early failure 1 is difficult to overcome. KIPP are largest nonprofit network in the country. 95% in KIPP were black or Hispanic and housed building and economically disadvantaged. 2017-2018 majority KiPp scored 3 or above in ELA in 10 of 12 grade levels. Regular school had 1 of 20 grade have majority scored 3 or above. In these 5 buildings. 2017-2018 majority of KIPP scored 3 above on math in 12 of 14. In regular school 1 of 20 grade levels. Math has bigger diff, thought math is more a reflection of school as ela depends on household too.
Success academy concentrated in NYC 46 with 15k students. 13 in same buildings. 92% black or Hispanic. 89% in public accompanying school. They performed even better than KIPP. 82% to 100% score 3 or above. Some have majority score in 4. In ela. Majority scored in level 4 across most grade levels. Highest public school in level 4 was 34%. One Success academy was best school in NYC.
Explore academy scored better than public, but worse than the other charter schools.
Uncommon schools scored better than public but only better than explore charter schools.
Achievement first. Brooklyn. Same trend. But with one outlier traditional school. 5 of 7 achievement first substantially better.
When comparing smaller charter schools, generally same trend we have seen so far. 68% majority above proficient and public was like 10%. Greater than black and white disparity. Indicates there are other factors besides race. In charter schools, 56% of black and 54 of Hispanic in charter pass ela compared to 52% of whites state wide.
Numerical limit to amount of charter schools. CA had 2019 sweeping legislation against charter.
Chapter 3 hostility
Why hostility? Millions of dollars. Charter schools pull billions from public schools and fewer teachers. Billions in union dues nationwide. Teachers unions not in charter. Charter threat to traditional system is very large and growth rate is strong. Failing charter schools can easily have charter revoked unlike public schools. Success academy most successful but most attacked. Bill De Blaise singled out head of success academy and campaigned against them. No free rent, but charter schools don’t get buildings and power to deny space. Waitlist in Boston 3x amount in charter schools even if unused buildings. Teachers unions killer. Agenda against shared buildings. Numerical limits in charter school despite quality. Right to appeal decisions. Oppose strict behavior rules so expelling easily. Insistence that charter school teachers have same credentials by qualified teachers. Even though supposed less qualified teachers in NYC do better in charter schools . Obvious restrictions financed with cash. Teachers unions say they do about the same comparing mass stats. Saying black white education has been closed in charter schools. “When school children start paying union dues, I’ll start protecting their interests” old teacher union head. NEw York passed law preventing NYC from charging rent. But many newspapers report political backlash from charter school .
Educational official hostility. Existing educational institutions set standards even to protect their own space. Charter schools many struggle with space. In Detroit, motop performing are charter and lowest performing are public. States have started passing laws against restricting space as it has become more common. Vague designation of space to stop competition. Would sell buildings to private schools though, but not charter need to charge tuition. One district offer 2.2 M for school, but instead sold for 1.5M to developer.
Could also slow walk decisions or changing location. Oakland told a charter to shut down after
some FORMER head was persecuted for some technical violation. Even before tried in court.
Chapter 4 accountability
Often say charter schools are not “accountable” the way traditional schools are because of the freedom in their operation. Accountable to whom and for what. Public go for union rules and litany of rules.accountability for following rules, not for quality of education or student outcomes. They do not want that accountability like testing. Charter schools don’t micromanaged accountability. Inputs vs outputs.
Teacher accountability
2010 550 teachers in rubber rooms coding tens of millions. Temporary reassignment, don’t want people in classroom but can’t fire them without years. So they just do nothing with security guards all day receiving salary. After two years New York, negotiated with someone passed out and smelling of alcohol that they could come back for administration duties. Charter school just get fired for incompetence, public won’t even fit crazy inappropriate behavior even sexual harassment. La spent 1.5M to fire one teacher unsuccessfully. Firing incompetent teacher in NY takes 830 days and costs 313k. Union says it’s the schools job to make it faster and negotiate better.
Administrative accountability
Less room for decisions, just process executes. Very different from student outcomes accountability.
Test accountability
Only in unions is standardized tests and the idea onlg judging what students know so fight against. One says tests should be used Diagnostically, but not judge students or teachers but it. So she’s asking for no accountability. Says achievement gaps are opportunity gaps. But already closed in ny charter schools. Problem is “high stakes tests”, so consequences. tests “quash “ imagination. but nothing is higher states than low income students and their education missing the chance for certain careers and lives without an education foundation of basic math or English. But there’s “Other important stuff” and tests narrow it lol. These are the basics of society life and super generally valuable. Charter school success academy gave field trips and extra curricular too, not boot camp.
Financial accountability
Charter schools “ siphon” money from public schools. Parents decide though, and transfer of student is what transfers money. Charter schools get an average of about 28% less than public schools per student. “Fixed costs” of public schools or charter schools voluntary donations. How does more donations make students learn less, and not just about supported vested interests. Kansas City ordered increased amenities like pool in highly segregated black schools to learn white back which “obviously “ would make students do better. Results is increase in high school dropout rate. More money is not the solution.
Effectiveness in schools
Difference in money is often pointed to, but nah had always been taught for cheap. Always pointed to these funding differences as explains educational difference. Money goes in and nothing changes. One says title one has spent millions for nothing. Private schools with great education can increase prices, but public school guaranteed monopoly. Physical presence is crucial for money, not learning. Policies show incentives of these systems between charter, private and public.
Student Differences
Nutritional differences produce intelligence difference. No equality of opportunity when you arrive at school. First born tend to have higher iq and over represented in merit scholar and many achievements. First born more likely to be merit scholar then next 4 combined. Undivided attention pays dividends. Children of parents with professional occupations hear 2x more words per hour than worki mg class occupations and 3x of welfare families. These words are more positive and encouraging. No natural equality so many equal striving very unlikely and ignore possibilities of other outcomes. If Asian Americans not in basketball, didn’t have to be explicit discrimination but that they cultural put their efforts in other fields. Dogmatic equality often puts difference on one social vision. No villains.
Cultural differences
England white lower class had hostile attitude to those who wanted to learn. And many gave up on school. Predominantly white underclass, message of uniting towards system like education system. Not conducive to learning. White 16 year olds there had lower scores than black 16 year olds in any country. Most blacks in Britain aren’t descendants of slaves but regular immigrants. Avoiding decades of indoctrination of resentment. More talked about in Britain because all white not not racist. Similar environment of Mauris in New Zealdns. Black and Hispanic in 7-12 found that gpas over a threshold like 3 had less friends of their own ethnicity. 4.0 gpa averaged 3 fewer Hispanics friends. No effect of white on white friends. “Acting white” phenomenon. Less of a problem in predominantly black schools. Motivated minorities with motivated minorities is better than mixed schools with potential of “class betrayal”. “White classmates are neither necessary nor sufficient for nonwhite students to achieve educational Success.
Segregation, integration, and diversity
Separate but equal overturned dating separate is inherently unequal. But a mile from Supreme Court, Dunbar high school all black public school sent more of its graduates to college than any public school in Washington. Alumni went to elite colleges including first black general, first 3 black PhD women, judge, cabinet member, tenure professor. Separate is not inherently unequal. Ideas lead that blacks need to be with whites with busing. Educational gap didn’t change with busing, only started happening with charter schools. Charter schools criticized for being segregated. After all, how can charter schools be a solution if segregation is the root problem. Acting white strongest when you go to school with richer whites and more, so exactly the recommended schools. doesn’t justify segregation, but need to question facts even those that support a social vision. Central function of school is to educate. Apartheid and segregation on statistics is weird, segregation is different then opening in school in heavily Hispanic neighborhood. Not imposed by institution. Statistical difference in outcome, doesn’t mean design and order. Proportional representation has never been shown to exist anywhere at anytime.
Sorting and unsorting students
Highly motivated students may be more likely in charter schools. Unfair advantage if charter schools get most motivated students. But those who win, are outnumbered by those who don’t often. Lottery losers do worse than winners. Continuing to charter high school significantly outperformed those who returned to public school. One critic says charter school only seem like they work because they screen out ESL and special needs kids. But that can be tested empirically, as though 11% of student have disabilities charter have 8%. Does that difference really explain away educational outcomes?? Statistical disparities must be due to biased treatment not student behavior is idea of schools. Blacks disciplined more than whites which are disciplined more than Asians. Is only racist for blacks and not for white? More correlated to single parent households and push to lower this discipline just means allowing more violations and disorder. KIPP had instant and overwhelming response to rule violations, there by choice and now largest nonprofit network. One teacher was slapped so hard by student it caused nerve damage, the student was suspended for a week and returned to her classroom where she was told to deal with it. KIPp founder had guy take his dick out and ask girl for oral sex, returned within 30 minutes from principals office. 2014 dear colleague Education department telling schools to not discrimination with policy enforcement which just means lower standards for already disorderly groups. 2014-2015 teacher assaults doubles. Similar to British lower class students, “restorative justice”. Some People think punishment can be replaced with other ways so basically opposed to it. Teacher unions like reducing suspensions as the brightest or most disruptive student being same amount of money. Disruptive student in system even if it disrupted others education. Charter schools reforms to force more disruptive kids to stay reduce the benefit strict guidelines have in attracting parents.
Dangers chapter 6
Like most social policies, have broad support from population but intense narrow opposition from teacher unions and allies. Closed gap in NYC, undermines theories of racial integration, income differences, test biase. Income difference let public schools off hook for educational failures. Success academy have average class sizes of 30 or more, so not class sizes either. Not clear charter schools are categorical superior, but implications of existing achievements are essential to understand in changing current wisdom. Officials see achievements as very real danger. Biggest danger is anti charter school reforms like CA can so stifle their operations. Newsom got many union demands. 2019. Seldom made even plausible case of in proving education, external regulatory institutions and internal ones. External specify in advance charter school cap despite any quality, clearly about limiting funding change. Local educational system can now block charter schools application if “demonstrably unlikely to serve interests of entire community” or “district non positioned to absorb fiscal impact”. Incumbents get to decide if competitors are inconveniences for existing system. Airlines, freight, tv, has had incumbent interests regulate markets. After airline deregulation, prices stopped and many incumbents went out of business. Seems like competition is better for public interests than officials decisions about what is. Nothing to do with improving education.
Internal restrictions on autonomy of charter school standards. Everyone knows charter schools have stricter discipline, and calls to restrict it. Now charter schools can’t suspend or expelled K-5 if willing fully defied authority. Tenure for trouble makers. Some charter schools will turn away students with the wrong socks because rules are important. Not good educational policy, but fine educational rhetoric. Curriculum in public seen as golden indoctrination to push adult ideological agenda. Luxury poor can afford least of. Skills are much more important than any ideology regardless of what it is. CA now require sex education and ethic study. Charter schools could innovate and bring results to public schools, but no often seen as unfair advantages. Now charter pushed to open records and meeting to public. Most important info was already available, educational outcome. Transparency opens more room for criticism. South also required NAACP to show member lists as donations, until stuck down given pressure on association. No educational purpose served or problem to be solved. Is already in public schools, but 1958 court noted membership in popular orgs transparency is different than minority orgs against popular sentiment causes real loss of members and hostility. Law written without transparency. Givers in many states no longer allowed privacy. Motto seems to be “if it ain’t broke, then break it”. NYC hired anti racist officials to reverse charter school trend, “privatizers” and rich people behind charter school. KIPP head would rather be defeated than surrender to cause world to know what Cuomo had done so loss would hopefully prevent future action not be repeated to other charter schools. Success academy outspoken, KIPP bring official in. Different strat. NYC turning against charter. Dunbar now bad high school 1950s, one institutional change of makeup of students. Even with more money and better building, bad outcomes. Survival of institution important for administrators, but educational outcome important for the actual students.
the future
Not too epxplicit, but general principles. Schools exist to educate children, not provide stable jobs for teachers, billions of union dues, monopoly for educational institutions, market for college degree, or captive Austin for indoctrination.
Institutional arrangement that people often overlook. Need to know what power is being given. Officials in unionized school system administer and provide classrooms to charter schools displays either cynicism or naivety.
When someone says Transparency, accountability, and due process. Ask specifically how will this make education better.
Don’t let narrow interest block something so important as child education and thus the opportunities available to young individuals.