Rally for choice
Parents, students and charter school supporters are expected to March Wednesday one mile from Hope Elementary Charter School in Raleigh to the General Assembly in hopes of convincing lawmakers to lift a state cap on charter schools.
North Carolina has limited the number of charter schools in operation to 100 since 1996. Currently, 92 charters schools operate (3 in Guilford) with six more expected to open next school year. Charter school supporters argue the cap only shuts out thousands of applicants and protects the interests of the public school establishment.
In a media teleconference today, education policy analyst Terry Stoops said the John Locke Foundation will release Wednesday a report showing the benefits of charter schools. He said that previous reports showing charters schools as an academic wash were unfair because they lumped alternative schools together with charter schools in their comparison, but did not do so with district alternative and regular schools. Other advocates argued that charter schools cost less per student and benefit low-income students who can't afford private school.
State data shows Greensboro Academy made Adequate Yearly Progress in 2005-06. Guilford Prep Academy and Phoenix Academy made it through safe harbor or confidence interval provisions. The Imani Institute, which closed last year because of financial troubles, did not make AYP.
What do you think about the charter school debate? Do Guilford parents need more choice? Does the state cap really serve any purpose?
