Too many charter schools are setting illegal admissions standards, whether that is 2%, as the California Charter Association reports or 20% as the ACLU of SoCal and Public Advocates report (full disclosure my first legal gig was at Public Advocates). Charter schools are public schools and need to have open admissions, so any number is…
equity
After Common Enrollment, What’s Next for Equity in OUSD
Oakland’s raucous debate around including all public schools—charters and district-run in a single enrollment system—is literally much ado about nothing. Common enrollment will not happen in the short term in Oakland—the politics are too hot, and the real beneficiaries, Oakland parents stranded without satisfactory neighborhood schools are relegated to the sidelines. The debate dominated by…
Do Black Minds Matter in CA? What do the numbers say?
Kicking off Black History Month let’s take a look at the current state of Black education in CA. Disturbing but not unexpected results came out from the recent Black Minds Matter report published by Ed Trust West. Some lowlights; Black students in California are LEAST LIKELY TO: Become proficient readers by third grade; Be placed…
Lamenting School Choice Week and the Need for Braver Authorizers
It’s national school choice week next week, and as the resident charter killjoy, I am compelled to throw some cold water on the celebration. School choice is not a panacea. There is no real “market” in education (and if there were it would be scary) and there is nothing inherent in providing a hypothetical choice…