Charter School Battle Rages On

Sen. Bill Perkins with some of his anti-charter Droogs

The controversy over charter schools, whether they're truly effective or run in a corrupt manner, came to a head yesterday at a public hearing that devolved into a shouting match between supporters and critics. And much of the vitriol seems to be directed toward "Judas" State Sen. Bill Perkins.

The hearing was set up to determine whether more oversight was needed on charter schools' finances, but quickly devolved into sniping between experts and pols. Pro-charter advocates pointed to "impressive" results—most charters outperform neighboring schools on standardized testing—and railed against the 200 charter cap in the city (As a result, though over 55,000 students applied to charter schools, only 11,700 will be accepted this year).

Charter critics questioned the difference in performance for white and black students in charters: "It's not better for African-Americans. It's not getting better because there's still an achievement gap," Assemblywoman Inez Barron shouted at Deputy Chancellor John White. And United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew accused pro-charter Sen. Craig Johnson of accepting $65,000 in political donations from charter school backers.

But Perkins, who organized the hearing, has been getting the most flack. The Post has been running a single-minded anti-Perkins campaign this past week, including several anti-Perkins editorials ("War On Charters" and "Why does Bill Perkins hate kids?") that are hilariously extreme in their rhetoric. As Leonie Haimson, executive director of non-profit Class Size Matters, wrote on the Huffington Post: "I doubt the Post has ever expressed as much hostility against Osama Bin Laden himself."

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By Ben Yakas in News on April 23, 2010 4:53 PM

Comments [rss]

Leonie

Thanks for the plug, but please correct the spelling of my name!

Leonie Haimson

bashmentgirl

Unfortunately poorer children attend schools that are underfunded, overcrowded and lack parental involvement. This, (NOT MINORITY CULTRE) needs to change.

chris lee

This debate is so tedious. What we call "education" is simply socialization and education to the Western European tradition. "White" kids or European children are going to have an easier time taking to this paradigm than non-Europeans. "Malik" when he goes home doesn't talk "Standard" English or discuss Napolean's "heroism" like Cindy Mc Farren does when she goes home to her home in New Canaan. No amount of $ can change this. Until, there is a change in minority culture, IF we want that , where literacy and the values of western culture and instutions are embraced, we're gonna keep pointing fingers at befuddled beureaucrats.

bashmentgirl

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Ease up on the generalizations. I DO NOT think that you are a racist. However, these kind of gross generalizations about Black people only exacerbate the problem. I grew up in a Black family where history and current events were debated and discussed frequently. I actually majored in history in college. Also, you make it seem as if White people are well-read. This is not an issue of race, but of class.

poopmast

I wouldnt say its a class issue, its more of a culture thing. Look at all the asian, and carribean kids who have parents who work at factories, cleaning hotel rooms, or restaurants, these people obviously dont have time to talk politics or history with their kids. Yet their kids end up becoming doctors, lawyers, and investment bankers.

Ishtar

I see people are still holding on to that lie that charter school students are outscoring their public school counterparts.

jgonzz

So, over 40,000 kids were denied admittance to the school of their choice. That's a lot of pissed off moms and dads. That's all this guy Perkins needs to know..

laisla

This debate always devolves into the 2 sides sniping at each other. And it comes down to the fact that we can't meet all the kids needs all the time. We never have, we don't now and it's not going to magically change anytime soon.

It's full of rhetoric and contradictions.

According to the article, "most charters outperform neighboring schools on standardized testing." However, Assemblywoman Inez Barron claims "It's not better for African-Americans. It's not getting better because there's still an achievement gap." So we can bring scores up and narrow the gap, but according to her it has to completely erase the achievement gap to be worthwhile? Really?

laisla

If there was not a cap, there could be a lot more charter seats and a lot more kids served.

And if that many people want alternatives and charters are outscoring their local counterparts, maybe the DOE should take a look at what charters are doing right.