When Dreams Emerge, Communities Arise!
Education is the key!
Publicly and privately funded, charter schools operate with more freedom than traditional public schools. With greater independence and funding, charter schools often produce better results than traditional public schools. In the article “Good Data for Charter, but Some Urge Caution,” Meg McSherry Breslin discusses the successes of Chicago-area charter schools as well as the areas in need of improvement.
This past spring, six charter high schools funded by the Renaissance Schools Fund graduated its first class of students with a college matriculation rate of over 90 percent. In contrast, surrounding Chicago Public Schools have a 52 percent college matriculation rate, according to 2008 data. Looking at outgoing data, charter schools are clearly doing something right to get students into college. Unlike other high-performing schools with high college admission rates, those six charter high schools have open-enrollment and a majority student population coming from low-income minority families. What are these schools doing right and what can we learn from them?
At all six schools, college attendance is an integral part of the discussion and culture. Schools hire more college counselors than other Chicago public schools. Just as a lower student-to-teacher ratio is ideal and beneficial to learning, a lower student-to-counselor ratio is beneficial for advice and counseling. Counselors become more familiar with students and can more effectively guide and counsel students about college. In turn, students feel more comfortable knowing their counselors and are more willing to communicate.
The schools also make college more feasible and easily accessible to their students. They take students on the road for college tours—a luxury often reserved for students with more means. Physically experiencing and visiting colleges allows students to visualize themselves in college. Schools also hold a yearlong course about completing college applications and forms. This is a valuable asset and tool for students. Many students do not gain admission to a university because they fail to complete their applications. And considering the high cost of college and the fact that many students come from low-income households, students must also complete financial aid forms properly in order to fund their education. Students are less likely to be overwhelmed by the lengthy, document-laden process if they are educated about the process and know that they will be guided all the way.
With their heavy focus on college attendance, no wonder these charter schools boast a 90 percent college matriculation rate. However, college acceptance does not necessarily mean college attendance and completion. A 2008 report by the Consortium on Chicago School Research shows that 9 percent of students accepted into college did not enroll due to financial trouble and family obligations. The ultimate question after getting students into college is “How do we keep them in college?”
Charter schools are answering the call and hiring full-time guidance counselors to track graduated students once in college. Schools cannot guarantee that all students will attend college, but they can ensure that those who do attend complete their college education. Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools can and have the means to go above and beyond for their students. Now, in addition to getting a large portion of their students into college, charter schools (at least the six in Chicago) are taking much-needed steps towards keeping their high school graduates in college. Though imperfect, charter schools are taking initiative to improving their already fantastic record. Charter schools are proving to be a a great alternative to traditional public schools and are perhaps the future of education.
The drive to start more stared way before Madrid.
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Here’s the link to the article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/us/25cncschools.html
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