From Linda Conner Lambeck, CT Post:
Two state charter schools with less-than-stellar track records were awarded two-year renewals on Wednesday, with the chairman of the state board of education praising the body for holding the independent schools more accountable.
… Great Oaks opened five years ago and serves 400 students in grades 6 through 9. Its student achievement in 2018 was below Bridgeport public school’s proficiency in both math and reading. Its student suspension rate of 26 percent is three times the state average of 6.8 percent and its turnover rate last year was about 25 percent.
Charter schools are state-funded schools that run independent of local control. There are two dozen of them in Connecticut, including six in Bridgeport and three in Stamford. In recent years, the state Department of Education has paid closer attention to the performance and management of them.
Full story here.
No comments here but yet this issue deserves and demands more observation and questioning from The Bridgeport Community especially by parents and families that have children attending BPS schools or Charter Schools.Many people here have complained about the performance of BPS and have given a blind pass to ALL Charter Schools,as if Charter Schools have done and are not capable of doing any wrong. Yet,here it is ,A Charter School in BPT that is underperforming. In 2016,while there was a Presidential election going on, The People of The State of Massachusetts also were looking at a referendum to STOP the EXPANSION of Charter Schools and this referendum was passed. So,we are now learning that Charter Schools are not the magical elixir answer to urban education. As I have said before, Charter Schools are re-introducing “segregation” to the public school systems. Because of urban school populations, this may be less of a white vs black segregation but a segregation of winners and losers within the black/brown student population. It is TWO standards. Losers and Winners. IMHO,that is unacceptable.
Frank, you are 100% on point.
We have 6 Charter $schools in Bridgeport. This is now the third charter $school located in Bridgeport which has been placed on probation.
Bridgeport came out in force opposing this school in 2014. We packed the hearing in Bridgeport, the state Board of Education, and the Education and Budget hearings held by the legislature.
Great Oaks only had one school in NJ at the time and had horrible results. We shared all the data at the hearings.
The BPS lost over $5,0000,000 to the 6 charter $schools located in Bridgeport LY. This includes ECS and federal funds.
Charter $chools are the most segregated choice schools nationally and in CT. They have significantly higher suspension and expulsion statistics. They are about making money for white millionaires and billionaires that invest in them to reap lucrative tax credits, management fees and real estate revenue. They are also an intricate part of the scheme to break teacher unions.
The NAACP passed a resolution opposing them and to stop one more charter school from opening in the United States.
Great Oaks is in their fifth year, and look at these abysmal results. Charters are renewed in 5 year increments, yet Great Oaks only received a two year renewal because of these disgraceful results.
50% of Charter $schools located in Bridgeport are now on probation.
Maria,
Thanks for your extra info!
*** Well, it seems that even charter schools are striking out in basic education in the city of Bpt. City public schools, city charter schools & I wonder how the city’s catholic schools are doing aswell? Its a sad state of affairs when urban city school kids in America are behind in academics & the U.S as a whole is not in the top spots in the world in education anymore. Sign of the times or has America gotten so lazy that they’ll just get somebody else to do the jobs? Alexa what time is it, or how much is 2 & 2, who’s the president Alexa, put on the lights, call grandma, call an uber , I don’t feel like driving to get something to eat! No wonder there’s so many illegal immigrants in the U.S doing simple jobs that youngsters & teens used to do or working part-time through college anymore, etc.. ***