NAACP v. charter schools

The California Charter Schools Association recently published the results of a study conducted concerning academic achievement of African American students in both traditional public schools and charter schools.  The results clearly show that black students in charter schools perform much better on California’s  annual tests than do their peers in public schools.

Over the past four years,

[in] reform hubs like Los Angeles, the charter advantage was 22 points, in Sacramento 48 points, in Oakland 51 and in San Francisco 150.

According to the study,

[t]hough charters account for only 9% of California schools, they represent 39% of those in which African-American [test] scores exceed 800 and English and math proficiency exceed 65%.

These results are often challenged by the teachers’ unions by claiming that the charters “hand pick” their students, or by the claim that those in charter schools come from families with higher education levels and better economic conditions than those in public schools.  Not so in California.

The African American populations in charter public and traditional public schools are very similar. Average parent education levels are the same (high school graduates to some college) and free/reduced-price lunch participation is similar (63% for charters and 67% for traditional public
schools, on average). Both are variables used to approximate students’ socioeconomic status. (See page 5 of the study)

Given this, can anyone explain the following:

‘We are concerned about the overrepresentation of charter schools in low-income and predominately minority communities,’ wrote the NAACP, the National Action Network, the National Urban League, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and others in a statement last year.

Personally, given the results of the above study, I think those groups should be more concerned about the overrepresentation of traditional public schools in those areas.

 

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SoundOffSister

The Sound Off Sister was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and special trial attorney for the Department of Justice, Criminal Division; a partner in the Florida law firm of Shutts & Bowen, and an adjunct professor at the University of Miami, School of Law. The Sound Off Sister offers frequent commentary concerning legislation making its way through Congress, including the health reform legislation passed in early 2010.

13 Comments

  1. Dimsdale on October 23, 2011 at 4:35 pm

    ?We are concerned about the overrepresentation of charter schools in low-income and predominately minority communities,? wrote the NAACP, the National Action Network, the National Urban League, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and others in a statement last year.”
    ?
    Apparently, they think it is racist to target communities/people with a demonstrable need with educational advantages.? Of course, then they have to make a similar argument against “affirmative” action…
    ?
    Apparently, well educated people don’t make good minority group members.? At least the NAACP et al. doesn’t seem to think so.? Or the Democrat party, which killed the successful Washington D.C. school voucher program as fast as they could.
    ?
    Did someone say “Democrat plantation”…



  2. ricbee on October 23, 2011 at 10:40 pm

    It’s nice to see a report that ordinary blacks won’t ignore. No matter what drivel their “leaders” deliver. Blacks aren’t stupid they just find it hard not to except bribes,just like whites.



    • Steve M on October 24, 2011 at 4:15 pm

      Stop with all of the bold. It’s not needed.



    • BEA on October 24, 2011 at 9:24 pm

      Forgive me, I’m not that savvy with the whole computer thing…are you telling him to stop because it?causes some technical issues or something, or just because you don’t like it?



    • Steve M on October 25, 2011 at 7:02 am

      @ BEA – for some reason ricbee feels to need to bold every word in his comments and I find that almost as annoying as all CAPS. I’ve asked once or twice before and he obviously did not see my comment or refused to stop. Now, nobody can bold anything for awhile.



  3. OkieJim on October 24, 2011 at 10:39 am

    Thomas Sowell did a really nice expose on this in “Black Rednecks and White Liberals” (Encounter Books, 2009). He laid out the history of education for pre-Brown v Board practices, and shows effects of the post-decision disasters. Back when a PhD was worth something (prior to 1960), black people were earning them in very respectable numbers.
    ?
    I hear all the disgust with government statistics, I get it. We need to get the government out of the business of propagandizing its own ‘successes’ with numbers; it leads to some horrible practices and twisting of words we thought we understood. When the government tells you education is working, run for the hills.



  4. mynoc3 on October 24, 2011 at 11:36 am

    I think this is an example of how Democrats get future votes.? It’ll be easier to lie to an uneducated public.? Not to mention a $1 trillion deficit doesn’t sound so bad if you’re not very good in math.



  5. JBS on October 24, 2011 at 4:14 pm

    “The NAACP, the National Action Network, the National Urban League, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and other” don’t want to have blacks to be educated. It’s as simple as that!
    An educated populous threatens “the NAACP, the National Action Network, the National Urban League, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and other”. Why else rail against the charter schools. Oh. With a charter school there is the lack of UNION dues winding up with the NAACP, et al, and the NAACP, et al then don’t have control of the charter schools through the unions. Follow the? money.
    Hmmmmm . . .



  6. joe_m on October 24, 2011 at 9:07 pm

    Charter schools may produce more Clarence Thomas’s and Herman Cain’s, we can’t have that.



  7. Linda Mae on October 25, 2011 at 1:12 am

    Simple reason:? parents who elect to send their children to a charter school area parents for whom education is a priority.? I taught for 37 years and found no difference in my kids based upon color.? Attitude was the most important variable – supported with parent support.
    John Stossel did a great show years ago in which the value of education was discussed in the black community – and? Frontline did another.? Both showed black parents, grandparents, etc. admonishing kindergarten children not to be proud of their grades – they were “acting white”.? What a shock to me.? Riki Lake did a show in which white parents complained that their kids were “acting black” – droopy pants, skipping school, refusing to do homework – all negative stereotypes .?
    Sadly, Bill Cosby spoke out against this attitude – and was vilified.?
    I think all schools should enact a talent and gifted mindset for all students and provide them with cultural enrichment activities.? Hopefully, the love of learning can escape the bounds of prejudice.



    • Dimsdale on October 26, 2011 at 1:32 pm

      Acting conservative is the new acting white.?? Ask Herman Cain, Judge Thomas etc.



  8. Lynn on October 25, 2011 at 3:56 pm

    It’s so odd. My husband and I did our job as? parents and raised our boys to be independent and able to support themselves and their families. We wanted our boys to have the best education possible. There were no Charter schools then but we supported their teachers and made them respect education. I can only hope most parents will turn a deaf ear to NAACP and observe the benefits of the Charter Schools.? But of course, freedom of choice even to letting your children fail.



    • Dimsdale on October 26, 2011 at 1:31 pm

      The people that seek out charter schools etc. are the ones like? you that care about their children.? Those that listen to the NAACP drivel apparently do not.



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