More public schools to be given to charters
More Philadelphia public schools will be given to charter organizations in September, the district's fourth go-round in its "Renaissance Schools" process.
More public schools to be given to charters
Kristen Graham
More Philadelphia public schools will be given to charter organizations in September, the district's fourth go-round in its "Renaissance Schools" process.
The district on Friday released a request for proposals for 2013-14 charter operators, no big surprise since officials have been saying for months that while they won't be authorizing any new standalone charters for next year, they like the Renaissance charter model and will continue to use it as a way to improve failing schools.
Officials said they would release the details of this year's crop of Renaissance schools on Feb. 11. A spokeswoman declined to say how many schools will be given to charters this year.
Since 2010, 17 struggling district schools have been handed to charters to run. The district has been pleased with the schools' progress, officials say, citing improvements in academics, attendance, violence and percentage of neighborhood students enrolling.
Schools are deemed "Renaissance eligible" on the basis of academics, school climate and neighborhood attendance rate. Only firms with a track record of turning around low-performing schools will be considered, officials said. Winning bidders will be awarded a five-year charter to run the schools.
Teachers in the affected schools will be considered force transfers who are eligible for jobs in other district schools.
Raven Hill, the spokeswoman, said that she could not speak to whether Promise Academies - district-run Renaissance Schools - will be designated.
The Renaissance timeline is tight - charter operators have until Feb. 8 to submit a letter of intent to submit RFP responses, which are due March 5. Meanwhile, community meetings for the designated schools will be held in February, and the School Advisory Councils that will make recommendations about which charter operators to pick will be recruited by early March. Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. will make his recommendations about charter-school matches by April 19, with a School Reform Commission vote on the matches to be held by early May.
Copies of the Renaissance RFP are available on the district's website.
The district's use of Renaissance schools has led to continued enrollment drops in the city's traditional public schools. This year, there are about 146,000 students in the system.
- Because they're not! Penn Alexander is a public school with additional funding and support from the University of Pennsylvania. That lottery system you so highly praise only proves what EVERY public school could achieve with the support they need.
Charter schools' standardized test scores are no better than public schools. Just b/c politicians and their friends make money from the charter school program, is the only reason they're allowed to continue. It's time for the public to stand up to this misuse of taxpayers' dollars. What a scam!— sabelotodo- Which current charter schools take disabled and mentally challenged children? And which ones take children at any time during the year because they just moved here or are having difficulties at their public schools? And which ones introduce children to the arts and sciences, no matter their specialties? All this is is union busting and getting around educational mandates that are not funded by the governmental level that require them.— gb
- the technology and real estate markets have blasted up and fizzled out in last 10 years. we are MAXED OUT. america is looking for a new "bubble" market. education is it, both literally and figuratively. now kids are commodity.....— hmmm
- hmmm,
http://bobsidlethoughtsandmusings.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/bush-foundation-staff-acted-to-promote-their-corporate-funders-priorities/
Jeb Bush, Bill Gates, Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee---kids are commodities to all of these scammers.— pachysandra - The School District should first identify which schools need to be improved and then identify the reasons why they need to be improved and the reasons why the school district itself can not improve them.
Then the SRC needs to explain their rationale for privatizing them. Then and only then should a request for proposals be put out.
The way this is all happening is clear evidence that the Agenda of privatization and turning our schools over to private entities for profit is being imposed upon Philadelphians by a group of insiders who want to profit off of our schoolchildren.
If anyone thinks this is about improving schools for our children -- I have farm land in Alaska for you. They are not even creating real charter schools. They are turning our schools over to people who are operating our schools as their private little businesses.
This charade has become a farce.— readingspecialist 1 - The SRC is very quickly losing its credibility.— readingspecialist 1
- Privatization Is the only answer... Competition between schools where the best schools survive and the poor ones fail will provide the education and results you all claim you want... It too will reward the best teachers with higher pay and the poor teachers Pink slips... Good old competition... Without it there is no incentive to be the best!— Soul child2013
- Then you must be a fan of competition when one side is allowed to cheat. Charter schools only admit students who meet their benchmarks so they seem better. The sad fact is that once enrolled there, these students don't continue to progress at the rate their highly qualified experienced public school teachers got them to. In a FAIR comparison, charters fail the test every time. So there goes your argument. The losers win out with the SRC and everyone suffers.
- I like ptahan's idea better than charter schools. Move the trouble makers to alternative schools. Put them all together and let the 80% that work to succeed.— misterpond
- No way the celebrity agitators and the union would allow it. No way. — b,ill at,kins
- charter schools do one thing well. provide a SAFE EDUCATION without distraction or disruption from students who have no respect for education. Their belief and feelings towards education come from their home and no school will EVER change the mindset of a family, a whole family through one individual in a classroom who does not care about why they are there. What is wrong with providing a SAFE education to kids? Ask any kid at a SAFE charter where they would rather go to school in this city and not one of them would ever utter their neighborhood school. If you had a choice to work at one job where you were harassed on the daily, they had metal detectors at the door, noone listened to the boss, people stole things from your desk, their were fist fights at work, coworkers sold drugs, a police presence was necessary to maintain order, and it was generally a hostile environment where you had to watch your back every second of the day or another job where you came to work, your coworkers did none of the above, and you never had to worry about such things. Ask yourself, why is it wrong to provide a SAFE environment for any child?— snewdog
- Child safety is not important. kilgore trout needs to get paid. That is all that matters. Forward. — b,ill at,kins
- Large sprawling organizations have LESS accountablity the BIGGER they get. THAT is why unions are so sensitive to charters - the accountability goes up and they like to answer to noone but themselves. It is simple, though, the public school unions have nothig but abject failure for a legacy. They should not just be reduced, they should be eliminated. The only SERIOUS interests in the world are private interests and FDR's new deal should be scrapped as the ghetto blight machine that it is (and all it ever has been).— thinkforyourself
- Right on thinkforyoutself...right on! — Soul child2013
During the school year, you’ll frequently find her hosting live chats about the district on Philly.com. Please do pass along the scoop about what’s going on at your Philadelphia public school; Kristen welcomes tips, story ideas and witty banter at kgraham@phillynews.com or 215-854-5146.
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