Signs of success at D.C. charter schools

The Washington Post has a long story reporting on how D.C's charter schools are showing more progress than the regular public schools in the District.

The city's charter system is now one of the largest in the country, fueled largely by word of mouth among parents looking for better public schools. Charters have grown to 60 schools on 92 campuses with 26,000 students, more than a third of the city's public school enrollment. In a few years, charters could become the dominant form of public education in the District.

Not all charters are successful. Many struggle to raise money and attract students. A few have gone out of business or been absorbed by other schools. Some officials who oversee the charters have also been involved in making private loans to them, creating possible conflicts of interest.

District children in both systems still fall short of national averages on standardized tests. But students in charter schools have been more successful at closing the gap. According to a Washington Post analysis of recent national test results for economically disadvantaged students, D.C. middle-school charters scored 19 points higher than the regular public schools in reading and 20 points higher in math.

On the city's standardized tests, the passing rate for charter middle schools was 13 percent higher on average.

District school records show that charters also have better attendance and graduation rates than the regular public schools and that their teachers are more likely to fit the city's definition of "highly qualified," meaning that they have expertise in what they are teaching.

Of course, such a report doesn't account for whether, despite coming from similar economically disadvantaged backgrounds, the students at the charter schools have an advantage in having parents who are more motivated to help their children succeed than those who remain in the District's regular public schools. Regardless, those parents deserve the opportunity to choose the charters that offer their children a better chance for success.

What is clear is that there is a model for achieving success with these disadvantaged students. It's not easy and not quick. But there are some commonalities among the more successful schools.

At many charters, students stay until 5 p.m., with the extra hours devoted to more class time and extra tutoring. Many require students to attend Saturday classes and summer school. Schaeffler said KIPP students spend 47 percent more time in class than students do in traditional schools.

It is not uncommon for charters to buy cellphones for the teachers and then tell students and parents to call anytime they need help.

At Friendship's Blow Pierce middle school in Northeast, parents are asked to sign a statement promising that they will get their children to school on time each day, make sure they wear the uniform, complete homework on time, and attend classes on Saturdays and in the summer if their grades fall below a C average. The parents also agree to attend conferences and school events.

The extra staffing and resources help charters achieve one of their prime goals: interceding in the chaotic home lives of poor children to keep problems from derailing learning.

At Thurgood Marshall, junior Mark Greene said the teachers helped him get into counseling and catch up on his studies this year after his family split up and he became homeless.

Demetrius Suggs, also a Thurgood Marshall junior, said the teachers and administrators "call my home all the time. 'He missed school,' or 'He missed detention.' They send alert notices. They devise a plan. There are no excuses not to get your work done."

Many charter directors said success, especially with poor children, depends on creating a cohesive and uniform environment. Without unions and seniority rules, they can decide who to hire and fire. They try to ensure that all of their teachers are committed to the same approach, and they provide several weeks of teacher training over the summer.

"The school culture is essential," said Schaeffler of KIPP. "It's the same language, the same terminology, the same tactics, room to room. The cool teacher who lets them chew gum and put their feet up on a chair: You're not being a team player. You think you're connecting with the kids, but you're undermining all the other adults in the building."
Discipline and Structure

At many charters, teachers use a meticulous system of punishments and rewards to shape behavior.

Students at KIPP middle schools get a paycheck of "KIPP dollars" every week for getting work done, being prompt, wearing their uniforms, helping out and participating in class. The paycheck also shows deductions for being rude or noisy or missing homework.

The concept is not exclusive to charters. Some of the District's regular public schools have introduced monetary rewards, as well as Saturday classes and programs to involve parents. But charter directors said their ability to design their own programs and then focus staff and students on those efforts has made them more effective.

With the signs of success from what these charters are doing, it's time for the regular public schools to follow that model. Michelle Rhee, the energetic superintendent of D.C. public schools, is trying to implement similar reforms but first must deal with the unionized teachers. They are not supportive of longer working hours and having to talk with students every evening. It takes special dedicated teachers to take up that task. (Full disclosure: our older daughter teaches in a D.C. charter middle school.) Perhaps what is needed is for even more charters to open up and replace the failed regular public schools. If the public schools can't achieve success using the same model they've been failing with for 40 years, it's time to go to something different.