THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 5, 1995 TAG: 9501050373
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: REWRITING THE LESSON PLAN
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Opening the schoolhouse door to innovation.
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PUEBLO, COLO. LENGTH: Long : 511 lines
They wanted to create a place where middle-school kids weren't treated as if they were already washed up, tempting them to drop out in spirit long before they acquired a real thirst for learning.
So John Mikulas, a veteran educator, and his wife, who returned to college to earn a teaching certificate, set up shop on the second floor of a converted garage, using many ingredients that had proven successful in experimental schools of the past.
Their recipe? First, reduce class size. Then mix in lots of computers. Next, nearly double the time spent on reading, writing and math. Set aside more money for instruction. And finally, tear down the barrier between school and the outside world, giving students an active brand of learning where the community is the classroom.
That was nearly two years ago. Today, a glimpse inside The Connect School - their brainchild - doesn't reveal much that's different from other public school classrooms.
But dig a little deeper and discover the key reasons why this and similar ventures are being touted as the country's best hope for public education: Everyone is here by choice - from the 90 students to the teachers to the parents. And this is a place governed by them, not some central office or faraway state education department.
``These are our kids,'' said John Mikulas, 47. ``We see them every day and we make decisions for our particular school. That's the way it should work.''
Connect is one of the nation's 140 ``charter schools,'' a tiny sprout in a national grassroots movement nurtured by parents and educators craving meaningful choices in the public school system, as well as the power to put their own ideas in place.
Sara McCaffrey, a 14-year-old eighth-grader in her first year at the school, talks about Connect as though it were an educational life raft.
Not only did gangs cause trouble in her previous school, but it was a large, faceless place where no one paid much attention to her, she said. She often played hooky. Her grades showed it.
``I like it here,'' McCaffrey said, ``because it's smaller and they try to teach you more. I feel like everyone really wants to succeed.'' Only one B was among the A's on her first report card this fall.
Such charter schools are freed from a web of local and state regulations on everything from the date classes must begin each fall to the number of acres surrounding a school. The teachers, parents and community members who run the schools can spend money, hire and fire, and depart from the public-school curriculum in ways they believe will yield the most benefits for students.
The goal is to give those in the trenches more room to be innovative, especially when it comes to reaching students whom traditional public schools fail to challenge, or simply ignore.
In the past four years, the movement has won converts from coast to coast. It's now Virginia's turn to grapple with the idea.
So far, charter schools have found eager supporters across the state, the most notable being Gov. George F. Allen, who included $500,000 in charter school grants in his proposed budget. At least three charter-school bills will be considered this year.
But, as critics have argued elsewhere, advocates sometimes sell the sizzle without the steak, downplaying issues of equity, academic standards and oversight.
Still, there's no sign that the push will ease up. That's because for many people - from state houses to row houses - frustration with the system has been building for decades.
Charters around the country paint a vivid picture that looks nothing like business as usual. They are the incubators of practices that eventually may take hold in the mainstream.
Some are aimed at gifted students, or those at risk of dropping out. Others are centered on a no-frills, back-to-basics curriculum. Some have a special emphasis, like science, foreign languages or vocational training. Even a few museums, universities and nonprofit groups are running charter schools.
The schools offer a broad choice of styles for parents unwilling or financially unable to turn to private schools. Almost all of them, however, share a similar set of principles.
Students are encouraged to apply their learning to real-life projects. Classes are small. Parents are involved on matters of substance. Class periods, and even entire school days, have been extended. And many have aimed their dollars at higher academic achievement and businesslike efficiency.
To save money at Connect, for example, teachers also serve as counselors, and everyone takes turns cleaning classrooms.
Much of what's being done can be pulled off within the traditional system. That route, however, usually requires educators to fight for one waiver after another from the state. Charter school supporters say control must be snatched from bureaucracies that govern schools like industrial-age factories using the same cookie cutter to stamp out graduates.
Lasting change and better academic results are more likely to come about in charter schools, they say, because power is placed in the hands of those who know students best and are closest to them: parents and teachers.
``In a public school, you don't get to be responsible for yourself much of the time. You don't get to make decisions that matter for you. And you don't get to make decisions that matter to other people,'' said Candace Allen, a high school teacher for 21 years before transferring this fall to the Pueblo School for the Arts and Sciences, a charter school run by the University of Southern Colorado.
``What you typically find in public schools are people who care more about following some policy than what's happening in the classroom.''
Charter schools are public - they are open to all students, accountable to taxpayers and subject to state and federal health, safety and civil-rights laws and desegregation orders.
And they operate autonomously under a state charter, rather than local school district control. Local boards instead take on a gatekeeping role, reviewing charter proposals to make sure they're sound. Most states - and sometimes local boards themselves - grant charters for three to five years, although they can often be renewed after that.
Charter schools are set up with specific mission statements and learning goals. Unlike regular schools, they can be shut down if they don't measure up.
``Public schools are one of the last institutions in which success typically does not depend on accomplishing the mission you've been given to perform,'' said Ted Kolderie, a senior associate with the Center for Policy Studies in Minneapolis and a researcher of charter schools nationwide.
``Charter schools replace that arrangement. There's more accountability.'' They're promising, he said, because ripple effects also can be felt across an entire school district.
Other experts say aggressive charter laws in states like Colorado and California have, in fact, nudged educators to think more seriously about meeting students' needs, being responsive to parents and revamping spending - if for no other reason than to thwart a possible competitor.
But one of the main reasons opponents continue to hate them is because they can act like a vacuum, sucking money from conventional schools as students decide to attend charter schools instead. In most states, the per-pupil funding goes right out the door with students headed to the new public schools.
Minnesota leads the way
The nation's first charter school, City Academy in Minnesota, opened in 1992 in a recreational center on St. Paul's impoverished east side. The year-round academy now enrolls 50 troubled students between the ages of 13 and 20.
The school's theme could be: Treat students like uneducable fools and they act like criminals; treat them like flowers and watch them bloom. All but two of the 17 students in the academy's first graduating class registered to attend post-secondary institutions. Last spring, 21 of 22 graduates had plans for higher education.
Milo Cutter, a teacher and one of the school's co-directors, still is quick to point out that the movement ``is not a magic wand.''
Rather, it's an ``impetus for creating things that will really respond to the needs of future generations,'' she explained. ``You have to walk whatever talk you're putting out.''
The movement's foot soldiers say charter schools have ignited fires under parents.
And some charter schools, including City Academy and Connect, have begun to show gains in achievement and attendance. At Connect, for instance, standardized test scores among the school's 55 original students increased by nearly 8 percent in writing and 13 percent in math between fall 1993 and fall 1994.
Nonetheless, judging the performance of such schools is difficult because they're really too new to have a track record.
Since Minnesota took the lead in 1991 with the country's first charter-school law, only 10 other states have followed suit. But community activists, a handful of reform-minded teachers and politicians in at least 14 other states are planning to push for charter schools in legislative sessions this year.
The laws now in place are not created equal, however.
Some allow for very few charter schools and make starting one difficult, especially for low-income parents. Seed money is often nonexistent, and local districts generally are not required to provide space or help. Some have complicated appeal procedures if a local school board initially rejects a charter proposal. Guidelines and academic standards also vary widely.
Georgia's 2-year-old law, for example, has yet to entice a taker.
Michigan's law was overturned in November, when a judge ruled that it violated the state's constitution - in part because Michigan's state Board of Education didn't govern the schools. The decision was immediately appealed.
The state has since passed a revised charter school law to try to comply with the judge's ruling.
Colorado's law, considered one of the nation's most progressive, was the work of a coalition that included Democratic Gov. Roy Romer, conservative legislators and an advocacy group for children, the Colorado Children's Campaign.
It's become a real force in the state, which - with 14 - has the most charter schools per capita.
Pueblo's Kathy Martinez, a parent volunteer at the arts and sciences school, recalled previous schools her daughters attended. Parents, she said, really weren't welcome.
Charters, on the other hand, ``are a breath of fresh air. It feels great to know that, as a parent, you're wanted and appreciated. And that everyone in the school is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure every child comes away with a solid education.''
Like other parents at the arts and sciences school, she signed a contract promising to help out this year.
Shaping Virginia's plan
In Virginia, the issue really isn't whether a charter school law will pass the General Assembly - most expect it to. The bigger question is what will pass and how it may be compromised.
Much of what's on the table - including two bills and a proposal by Allen's Commission on Champion Schools - has yet to be fine-tuned or differs markedly in scope, particularly in key areas such as who has the final say in granting a charter, who can apply, where charter schools can be set up, and what will be done to make starting them easier.
Almost everyone agrees that, at the very least, charter schools must meet state constitutional requirements on standards of quality in the classroom.
William C. Bosher Jr., state superintendent of public instruction, said the hardest challenge may still be finding common ground on just how much public schools should be allowed to do their own thing.
Whatever the case, Virginians must realize that top-down reform doesn't always work, and they must be willing to experiment, said Del. Phillip Hamilton, R-Newport News, whose charter school bill will be considered this year.
Hamilton, who modeled his bill after the Colorado law, is a Newport News school administrator who has long pushed for greater accountability in public schools.
In addition to his charter school bill, he plans to again sponsor legislation that would deny public-school educators the comfort of tenure.
Charter schools, Hamilton said, won't solve all of today's problems in education, but they're a start.
``The general public does not believe our schools are as successful as they can be,'' he said. ``We need to do things differently. We need to take risks if we want our country and our society to move forward. Don't ask the question, `Why?' Ask, `Why not?' ''
Some also see charter schools as a lesser evil when compared to other hot reform ideas, like hiring for-profit companies to manage public schools or distributing vouchers, government payments that allow parents to choose private schools.
The movement's detractors still haven't been sold.
To critics - who have included school administrators, teachers unions concerned about collective-bargaining rights, and some minorities - charter schools are either an attempt to run elitist, semiprivate schools with public dollars, or a drain on district finances.
``What we have is Virginia's attempt to resegregate through other means,'' said Linda Byrd-Harden, director of the state branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
``. . .We need to support the current system,'' she said. ``There's nothing to stop anyone from making changes now, but the problem we have is a lack of adequate funding in most cases and a lack of staff support to carry out teachers' agendas. We have some districts dying for financial and other help. Charter schools will only make things worse.''
The state's education association and PTA are watching the developments closely. The Virginia School Boards Association and the Virginia Association of School Superintendents already have voted to oppose the creation of charter schools.
``If schools need to be freed up from many of the rules and regulations in order to improve, why not free up all schools?'' asks David Blount, the school board association's government relations officer.
Amy Stuart Wells, an education policy professor at the University of California's Los Angeles campus, dubbed the whole idea ``the great unfunded mandate'' that, in many cases, still doesn't make up for funding disparities among rich and poor school districts.
``Basically,'' she said, ``everyone is saying, `Do it and good luck.' In reality, this is all being implemented with the same dollars, on the backs of teachers.''
The skepticism is understandable.
Starting or running a school is beyond the talents of many, particularly poor parents. And the charter school reality doesn't always match what's on paper. Some schools have had to regroup after bombing miserably in the beginning.
Last month, the Los Angeles Unified School District voted to close a charter school for dropouts, called Edutrain, because it had become mired in debt and record-keeping problems. While teachers lacked books and supplies, Edutrain administrators allegedly attended an expensive retreat and gave the principala monthly housing allowance.
Edutrain officials, who are challenging the closure in court, said many of the problems were solved after an administrative overhaul in November.
Charter-school supporters argue that even the current public school system has its share of scandals, and, in too many cases, a long record of failure.
``I think the hope in charter schools is giving people a way to feel like they can be involved, and the feeling that there's a meaningful role for them in the education of their children,'' said Barbara O'Brien, president of the Colorado Children's Campaign.
``That's what we're crossing our fingers to hold true.''
There are no clear answers to the toughest questions, though.
Will charter schools produce more-successful graduates? Will they really promote systemwide change in a school district, or just be exceptions in an otherwise dismal sea? Will they be adequately supported or allowed to fizzle?
Few are placing bets.
``I think it's too early to say how everything is going to play out,'' said Michael Johnson, superintendent of Pueblo's District 70. ``But the stakes are too high to be playing games. Our country can no longer afford ill-prepared graduates.
``Maybe charter schools are not the one answer, but we risk greater failure if we don't try different things.''
Even without hard proof that the schools can indeed produce over time, parents are clamoring for the option to try them.
Both of Pueblo's charter schools already have waiting lists. Just the other day, Judy Mikulas said, a mother called Connect to ask whether a slot could be reserved for her child - six years from now. MEMO: THERE ARE MORE THAN TWO SIDES TO THE DEBATE, BUT HERE'S A LOOK AT SOME
OF THE VIEWS
Supporters say:
Charter schools offer a broad choice of styles for students, parents
and teachers and are more responsive to community needs.
They're also more accountable: If they don't measure up, they're shut
down.
Charter schools can foster competition in a district and nudge
conventional schools to do better - money follows students to charter
schools.
Parents and teachers will be more engaged in public education because
they can play key decision-making roles in areas like spending and
academic focus.
Critics say:
Charter schools divert money and other resources from regular schools
and are not monitored closely.
Charter schools are an effort to set up elitist, semiprivate schools
with public dollars.
Charter schools will weaken collective bargaining rights of
teachers.
Academic standards will differ markedly in different schools and the
concept is too new to have a track record.
If many rules keep public schools from being innovative, all schools
should be freed from such rules, not just charters.
YOUR OPINION COUNTS
The following are sources for more information on some of the
education reform ideas, or people to contact to express your opinions.
Education Commission of the States, a nonprofit, educational research
and policy organization in Denver, Colo. Call: 303-299-3600.
Governor's Commission on Champion Schools, Richmond. Contact: Press
officer Kari Walter. Number: 804-692-0244.
Virginia Department of Education, Richmond. Contact: Public affairs
office,
804-225-2027 or 1-800-292-3820.
Constituents Hotline/General Assembly, Richmond. 1-800-889-0229.
On charter schools:
Del. Phillip Hamilton (R-Newport News), Richmond office:
804-786-6597; Newport News, 249-2580.
Del. Mitchell Van Yahres (D-Charlottesville), Richmond office:
804-786-7292; Charlottesville office, 804-977-7863.
Republican Sen. J. Brandon Bell of Roanoke, Richmond office:
804-786-6702; Roanoke office, 703-342-8053.
Back to basics:
For more information about the Core Knowledge curriculum, call The
Core Knowledge Foundation in Charlottesville, Va., 804-977-7550.
CONTACTS AT THE CAPITOL
Some members of the Senate's Education and Health Committee:
Sen. Elliot S. Schewel (D-Lynchburg), committee chairman: Richmond
office, 804-786-6595; Lynchburg office, 804-528-3000.
Sen. Hunter B. Andrews (D-Hampton), Richmond office: 804-786-6593;
Hampton office, 722-2581.
Sen. Clarence A. Holland (D-Virginia Beach), Richmond office:
804-786-7291; Virginia Beach office, 464-5600.
Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth), Richmond office: 804-786-6693;
Portsmouth office, 487-5705.
Sen. Stanley C. Walker (D-Norfolk), Richmond office: 804-786-7280;
Norfolk office, 623-6245.
Some members of the House of Delegates' Education Committee:
Chairman J. Paul Councill Jr. (D-Franklin), Richmond office:
804-786-6909; Franklin office, 804-562-4283.
Del. Mary T. Christian (D-Hampton), Richmond office: 804-786-6600;
Hampton, 723-6060.
Del. Alan A. Diamonstein (D-Newport News), Richmond office:
804-786-6992; Newport News, 873-4600.
Del. Robert Tata (R-Virginia Beach), Richmond office: 804-786-6803;
Virginia Beach, 499-2490.
Del. Frank W. Wagner (R-Virginia Beach), Richmond office:
804-786-7306; Virginia Beach, 420-2844.
YOUR TURN...
Now that you've read some of the things politicians, experts and
educators have said about education reform ideas floating around the
state, we want to know what you think. Below are some questions on four
of the most talked-about ideas: a return to a no-frills,
``back-to-basics'' curriculum; ``charter schools''; uniforms for
public-school students; and single-sex classes. Please complete the
survey by Jan. 13 and mail it to (or drop it by) the newspaper's Beacon
bureau:
Attention: Education Editor
The Virginian-Pilot/Ledger-Star
4565 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, Va., 23462
Questions? Call the Education Team at 804-490-7200. Fax number:
804-490-7235.
Your age:
Occupation:
Race/ethnicity:
City you reside in:
Number of school-age kids you have:
Do they attend private or public schools?
Your name and home telephone number (optional):
BACK TO BASICS
1. Are academic standards high enough in local schools? YES
NO
If no, why do you think that's the case?
2. Do you think schools spend too little time on basic skills -
such as reading, writing and computing? YES NO
If yes, why?
3. Are expectations of students too low? YES NO
If so, why?
4. Do students have the basic skills they need - such as reading,
writing and computing - when they graduate from high school? YES
NO
If no, what do you think they're lacking?
5. How would you change what students learn in school, if at all?
CHARTER SCHOOLS
6. If you could help start a public school with some teachers, a
public organization or with a group of fellow citizens, and then play a
role in deciding how the school would be run, would you do it? YES
NO
Why?
7. Do your local public schools welcome your input as a parent or
community member? YES NO
8. Do you think school districts should offer parents more choices -
such as schools with special academic themes, missions or instructional
methods? YES NO
If yes, what kinds of choices would you want?
9. Should Virginia have a law allowing charter schools? YES NO
10. Do you think the creation of charter schools would push
traditional public schools in the same district to aim higher?
Why?
SINGLE-SEX CLASSES
11. Do you think there's a need for single-sex classes in public
schools? YES NO
Why or why not?
12. Would you permit your son or daughter to enroll in single-sex
classes in public schools? YES NO
13. Do you think single-sex classes would improve discipline in
schools? YES NO
Why?
14. Do you think girls would benefit by having their own classes in
math and science? YES NO
Why?
15. Do you think single-sex classes for students in certain ethnic or
racial groups, such as black males, is a good idea? YES NO
Why?
UNIFORMS
16. Would you want your child to wear a uniform to public school? YES
NO
Why or why not?
17. If uniforms were required in public schools, do you think they
should be formal, such as ties and shirts and jumpers, or casual - just
a certain color to be worn?
18. Do you think uniforms for public-school students would help
decrease disciplinary problems ? YES NO
Why?
19. Do you think uniforms for public-school students would help
increase academic achievement? YES NO
Why?
20. Do you think the state should pass a law allowing any school in
Virginia to require students to wear uniforms? YES NO
ILLUSTRATION: [Definition of Charter Schools]
SAM HUNDLEY/Staff illustration
-John Mikulas (pictured at left with wife Judy Mikulas, in front of
Connect School)
Brian Kelsen
Associated Press
Nina Olgaz teaches a reading class at The Connect School in Pueblo,
Colo. The charter school's smaller class sizes and its focus on
reading, writing and math are among the qualities that set it apart
from other public schools.
WHAT'S ON THE TABLE
[Chart]
Here's a look at key features from charter school proposals now
under consideration:
NOTE: The information was taken from two bills and a proposal from
Gov. George F. Allen's Commission on Champion Schools. Much of what
is now under consideration will be revised this session. Rpeublican
Sen. J. Brandon Bell of Roanoke, who is also a commission member,
said he would submit a charter-school bill this year to replace one
he filed last year.
[For a copy of the chart, see microfilm on page A6 for this date.]
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Map
SOURCE: Education Commission of the States, National Conference of
State Legislatures.
[For a copy of the map, see microfilm on page A6 for this date.]
THE CONNECT SCHOOL
Graphic
What: The Connect School is a charter school for sixth-, seventh-
and eighth-graders. It's the brainchild of John Mikulas, a veteran
educator with a background in nuclear engineering, and his wife,
Judy, an office manager who returned to college about four years ago
to earn a teaching certificate.
Where: Housed in a garage-turned-office building in Pueblo,
Colo., about 45 miles south of Colorado Springs. The school opened
nearly two years ago.
Enrollment: Ninety students from a cross-section of Pueblo's
rural and mostly working-class neighborhoods. Seventy-five percent
white; 25 percent Hispanic. Pupil-teacher ratio: 18-to-1.
Theme: The school is organized around teaching that uses
community resources - everything from museums and parks to residents
willing to submit to student interviews on various topics - and the
use of computer technology to solve everyday problems. Teachers draw
up individual learning plans for each student, but everyone is
expected to master the same academic material. There's roughly one
computer for every two students.
Governing body: A board of three parents, three teachers and one
community resident. The board can spend money, hire and fire, and
depart from the public-school curriculum in ways it believes will
yield the most benefits for Connect students.
Staff: Five handpicked teachers, including Judy Mikulas. District
70 allows John Mikulas, its testing specialist, to spend part of his
time helping out at Connect.
Budget: About $345,000 this school year. Like Colorado's 13 other
charter schools, Connect gets at least 80 percent of the state
funding available to regular public schools. Pueblo's District 70
contributes some services, like transportation and administrative
support. Some of the ways the staff saves money: Everyone takes
turns cleaning classrooms; students must bring their own lunches;
teachers also serve as counselors; the school pays a staff member
from the corner YMCA to offer physical education classes there.
KEYWORDS: EDUCATION CHARTER SCHOOLS by CNB