Although charter schools
engender fierce debate — most recently over ballot measures in Georgia
and Washington State — their ranks are growing rapidly, according to a
new report. Between 2010-11 and 2011-12, the number of students in
charter schools increased close to 13 percent, to just over two million.
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools,
a nonprofit advocacy group, released the report on Wednesday. It showed
that in some cities, charter schools — which are publicly financed but
privately operated — enroll a significant proportion of public school
students.
New Orleans, where the city’s schools were essentially destroyed by Hurricane Katrina,
leads the nation in the proportion of students in charter schools, at
70 percent. But in six other districts, including Detroit, Washington,
D.C., and St. Louis, more than 30 percent of public school students
attend a charter school.
According to the report, in 110 school districts, at least 10 percent of
students now attend public charter schools, up from 96 a year earlier.
“To the extent families are in need of other options, growth does
indicate there is something missing in the public school system,” said
Nina Rees, chief executive of the National Alliance.
Opponents argue that charters drain public resources from traditional
schools, and tend to attract motivated students, leaving behind those
harder to educate.
The performance of charter schools has been mixed, with some helping
students achieve higher test results than traditional neighborhood
schools, but many others delivering similar, or worse, results.
The fate of a ballot measure in Washington allowing charter schools in
the state for the first time has not been determined. In Georgia, a
measure creating a new state commission to approve charter schools
passed.
In New York City, just over 48,000 — or about 5 percent — of public
school students attended charter schools in 2011-12, up 24 percent from
the previous year.
Source : nytimes.com