What happens when charter schools fail?

In the reform world, charter schools are sometimes hailed as the solution to our failing public education system. They have autonomous governance, they can be selective with admission, and they have a plethora of funding options.

Reading, writing, and math Median Growth Patterns (MGPs) for Colorado's TCAP test. These charts demonstrate that the majority of charter schools are, in fact, performing higher than direct-run public schools. 

But what happens when charter schools, the solution to failing education systems, fail to serve students justly? After all, charter and innovation schools are largely experimental, and in the real world, trial and error is a huge part of experimentation. Unfortunately, when it comes to education, trial and error is dangerous. This is why the application process to create a charter school is so rigorous. However, sometimes even the best ideas on paper don't make it in the real world, and sometimes charter schools fail to prepare students academically. And in these situations, it isn't right to allow these institutions to continue serving students.

Alyssa Whitehead-Bust, Chief Academic and Innovation Officer at Denver Public Schools, goes as far as to say that allowing these schools to continue operating is "unjust." In these cases, she says, it is necessary, although extremely unfortunate, for the schools to be closed. But closing a school is the last step in a process of remediation, taken only if the school fails to bring its performance up over time. And when it does occur, it can only happen if the students currently enrolled in the school have access to seats in other high-performing schools. Whitehead-Bust insists that closing a failing school and sending its students to another failing school is just as wrong.

Therefore, closing down charter schools is almost as difficult as opening them - and who knows which has higher stakes. Charter schools might be a temporary solution to education reform; most of the time they perform at drastically higher levels than their public counterparts, and only in the rarest occasions do they perform below standards. However, privately governed institutions can't be the answer to a civil right.

In Whitehead-Bust's words, choice is designed to "level the playing field" for students who currently live in zones with underperforming public schools, but she adds that they are only a temporary solution. Charter schools are necessary right now in providing as many students as possible with a decent education while we work to fix the public school system. The endgame? For 100% of students in the district to have a seat in a high-performing public school.

The problem is, now we have to figure out how to do that.

Because We're Different

"Why do we do it? Because nobody else does." - Phillip Douglas (2014), Project VOYCE Site Manager and C.H.E.S.S. Founder.

At first glance, this statement can spark some negative feelings. Is that really a justifiable foundation for doing something - because nobody else does? However, my experience with this mindset has given me a new understanding of "doing things just to be different." When people, especially students, are a part of a unique movement, they form a cohesive community that is reiterated through practices that are unique to this community.

I saw this practice in action twice today. It was especially apparent during my afternoon visit with Manual High School's Project VOYCE class. Project VOYCE (Voices of Youth Changing Education) is a class that is currently implemented at seven schools throughout the Denver area. Their mission is "to empower youth to create positive change within their lives, their schools, their communities, and the world" (Douglas, 2014). My class sat in on one of their sessions today - as each student entered the room, Phillip and the other instructor, Sir Martin, bumped heads with them. They call this "head love."

While this action alone is minuscule, its impact is huge. For one, Phillip and Sir were acknowledging the presence of each student who entered their classroom, smiling at them and indicating that they were happy that they were there. This unique gesture has another implication, though. This classroom, and with these people, is the only place where students engage in "head love." In doing so, students recognize their place in the group when walking in the door. It immediately sets the tone for the class and reminds students of the environment that they are in. From there, a safe community can be fostered.

I saw Douglas' words in action again at Downtown Denver Expeditionary School during my daily internship. DDES's motto, "We are crew, not passengers," is implemented throughout the building via decorations, vocabulary, and attitude. The school, which currently teaches grades K-3 and is expanding upwards, is divided into "crews" instead of classes. Each teacher has his or her own crew for all subjects, with the exception of P.E. and art (for which there are different teachers). Teachers consistently refer to classmates as "friends," "crew members," and "teammates."

Sticker displayed in Julia's classroom at DDES

So, what's the big deal? Classes are called crews and everyone is called a friend. Yet, even simple vocabulary adjustments have a huge impact on attitude - especially in forming community. When kids enter the building and everyone around them uses vocabulary that is unique, they gain a sense of place. When certain norms and values are associated with this vocabulary, they begin to shift their behaviors and attitudes to foster this community as they see indicators in their environment shift.

These experiences bring new meaning to my understanding of "doing things just to be different." Of course, there are limits. The impacts of these practices must be measured to ensure that, if there are adverse effects, they can be corrected with minimal harm. That's why I believe these attitude-adjusting tools to be best - when we can associate community values, norms, and practices with seemingly small gestures, we can consistently reiterate goals in a way that is understandable and accepted throughout the community.

Phillip Douglas' words exhibit innovation in its purest, most primitive sense. It is different, it is able to be implemented smoothly, and it is effective. As Douglas' own daughter put it, "It doesn't cost anything to care" (Douglas, 2014). I believe that the first step in education reform is a shift in attitude - of teachers, students, and administrators. Let's show students that we care about them, and that we care if they care back.

Entry #1: Introductions

My name is Eliza Stein. I am a college freshman. I am a product of the public school system, but with a twist: I am the product of new public school systems. I was educated in an Expeditionary Learning school from kindergarten to eighth grade, then went on to attend a public charter high school whose mission centered around college success for underrepresented populations. That's right, folks - you are looking at a real-life product of experimentation, manipulation, and new-age education.

I currently find myself in an education course at Colorado College called Critical Perspectives in Public Education Innovations. This class captured my attention because its title combines five words which, when appearing together, trigger every impulse within me to immediately grind my heals into the ground and prepare for battle. These five words may be the basis of all conflict that humanity will ever see.

This blog will trace my thinking as I explore "Critical Perspectives in Public Education Innovations." I will spend a total of thirty hours interning at Downtown Denver Expeditionary School and Wittier ECE-8. I will also reflect as I dive into Diane Ravitch's Rein of Error (2013) and Milton Chen's Education Nation (2010), and how they apply to my first-hand experiences. My class will meet every afternoon to reflect and discuss topics prevalent in our school placements, readings, and lectures.

Throughout this blog, I will examine what it means to think "critically" about a topic. As Ravitch said in her book, it is important to avoid being "long on criticism but short on answers" (Ravitch, 2013, p. xii), balancing observation with further research, synthesis, and inference.

I will explore the various "perspectives" involved in education, in and outside of Chen's "three-legged stool of teachers, parents, and students" (Chen, 2010, p. 199) - how do each of these stakeholders influence the educational system, and how is each influenced in return? To what other valuable perspectives are we not giving credibility?

I will question the meaning and importance of "public" institutions - what defines something as "public," and how does this specific adjective play out in the debate of human rights? What does it mean for a school to be public, for its "doors [to be] open to all" (Ravitch, 2013, p. 5)?

One of the most broad and difficult topics that I will attempt to unravel is the definition and implications of the word "education." How is education defined in traditional public school models? What modifications, if any, must we make to our current models in order to address the perpetually changing "tools required for learning in this decade" (Chen, 2010, p. 2)? And what does it mean to be "educated" not only in the modern world, but in the future world?

Finally, I will present several new, "innovative" approaches appearing in the education world and attempt to weigh them against the previously discussed themes. When examining all of the above critical questions, how does innovation come into play?

Education reform is controversial, and it is an extremely high-risk area of focus. It is true that education systems today are not operating successfully; this is demonstrated by humongous achievement gaps and perpetual trends of high school drop-outs and college unpreparedness. Yet, when we approach education reform, we must remember that we hold children's futures in our hands. Like anything, school innovation requires its share of experimentation, which also means trial and error. This is why education reform is so difficult and controversial: in our search for a solution, we put our children's well-being at risk. The film The Lottery (2010) brings up one of the most important topics to keep in mind while examining education reform: access to a great education cannot be the luck of the draw, and it should not be determined by the neighborhood children are born into. Together, we must find a way to grant all children the education that they are entitled to.

I would like to formally invite you to join me as I explore education reform in Denver Public Schools, the United States, and the world.

Literature Cited:

Chen, Milton. (2010). Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in our Schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Ravitch, Diane. (2013). Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools. NYC: Vintage Books.