Reform, Not Replace Public Education
Saturday, August 27, 2011
In her recent “Mindsetter” piece, Why We Need Achievement First, Maryellen Butke asserts that Achievement First’s opposition is missing the point. She states that members of the community don’t realize what Achievement First can do for the students of Cranston and Providence, and asserts that facts have been “lost in the debate.” Perhaps Achievement First should consider their role in this fiasco. Achievement First’s supporters have engaged in a gross manipulation of data. The evidence that has been employed to support the mayoral charter school’s viability is based on standardized test scores. Scientific researchers refer to this type of data as “soft data.” Simply put, it’s not controlled for accuracy, and consequently, it’s almost always a case of comparing “apples to oranges.”
Achievement First has offered comparisons between their test scores and the scores of traditional public schools. They conclude that their schools are superior to traditional public schools because their test scores are higher. What’s truly shameful and insidious about this practice is Achievement First’s failure to disclose that they’ve “hedged their bets. “ Achievement First selects their students “randomly” through a lottery, from a pool of children with involved parents. The only students who have tickets for this lottery are those students whose parents have applied and signed a parental contract. It is well known that having parents that are supportive, active and involved gives students an excellent chance to be successful in any school setting, public or charter.
Butke also states that Achievement First is not a “fly by night” operation. This is a point to which I concede. Achievement First is not fly by night. What they are is a non-profit educational corporation, a franchise. They are non-profit, but that doesn’t mean that they are not “profitable.” In actuality, the profits they make go back into the company. As Achievement First’s mission and vision states, they are a growing network of schools and they intend to continue growing. This franchising of education is similar to establishing an educational Wal-Mart.
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Furthermore, Achievement First isn’t applying for an application to open “a” charter school, but instead they are going to open up a system of schools. They are essentially an independent school system. They have their own superintendent and their own school board. They make all their own policies and choose their own curriculum. In my opinion, decisions regarding the education of a community’s children should be made by elected members of the community. That’s called democracy. However, democracy is word that Achievement First saw fit to remove from the name of their charter school in Cumberland. What can Achievement First do for Cranston and Providence? It’s already begun. They are removing the “public” from “public education.”
Daniel Wall is a Providence teacher and a Cranston parent.
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