Google “segregation” and this is what first pops up:
seg·re·ga·tion
ˌsegriˈgāSHən/
noun
the action or state of setting someone or something apart from other people or things or being set apart.
“the segregation of pupils with learning difficulties”
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Segregation&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
The segregation argument is the most compelling against lifting the charter cap. The average citizen does not realize the extent to which this happens at charter schools, especially “miracle schools” in Boston that boast zero students in the warning, or failing, category of MCAS.
Charter schools are a brand. They are run like a privatized company with monies set aside for “advertising”. Within the status quo US educational system the most important “success” metrics are proficiency rates of individual schools and districts. The best way to sell your school’s brand is to advertise shockingly wonderful proficiency rates. Four year graduation rates are not advertised because they are below Boston. Attrition rates, not backfilling seats, and ACLU actionable suspension rates are not advertised. SAT scores are not advertised. The fiduciary interests of hedge fund managers and the CEOs of Education Management Companies (EMOs) are not advertised. I could write a book of what is not advertised at charter schools, and people have. Indeed charter chains, such as KIPP, wear their test scores like a badge of honor. They are advertised everywhere.
The proficiency rates at miracle charter schools are a badge of dishonor. Students with disabilities, designated as 0.4, do not complete the MCAS. Instead their teachers submit a portfolio. Shockingly they are counted as “WARNING” on the MCAS automatically. These scores count in the aggregate on DESE’s website. Automatic warnings deflate perceived proficiency rates and inflate failure rates. The drumbeat begins. “The sky is falling” exclaims the charter lobby. Indeed, the “sky is falling” when we let segregation academies proliferate our districts while demonizing the people who actually teach our neediest children. The data is a sham. Don’t believe the hype. Our schools are being starved and it will only get worse if the cap lifts. Look at what’s happening in Philadelphia.Look at the state of New York City. Remember the Chicago Teachers Union strike? That is the legacy of charter schools that dismantle urban districts. We don’t need that in Boston, and we don’t need to lift the cap in Massachusetts.
