School Choice/ Charter Schools in IndianapolisWhat are plausible implications of N.E.O. (charter schools)

Overview• Disclaimer• History of choice• Charter School performance• Types of charter schools• Concerns of EMO• Recommendation

• The idea of school choice is much older than what most believe• Adam Smith 1778• Reconstruction Era and Benevolent groups

School Choice History

• Popular thought that school choice was birth from the right, but…• Anti-Brown• Milton Friedman• liberal educational reform movements, the civil rights movement,

and Black Nationalism.• 1983 A Nation at Risk: The Imperative For Educational Reform• Some scholars belief school choice/vouchers are a

counteraction to Black flight and growing diverse traditional suburban districts and/or gentrification

History Cont.

Schools 101• Public Education• Traditional Public Schools (TPSs)• Charter Schools

• Private Schools• Parochial schools• Charters are a form of public education• EMO• CMO• Independent

Charter schools at a Glance• Indiana

• The 2008 CEEP report also found that attendance rates for charter and TP schools were equal; retention rates were not markedly different, and there was virtually no difference in charter and TP school performance.

• Nationally• Are charter schools more effective than Traditional Public Schools in

raising student achievement?• The research is inconclusive. • (American Federation of Teachers [AFT], 2002; Bulkley & Fisler, 2002; Eckes &

Rapp, 2005; Frankenberg & Lee, 2003; Gill, Timpane, Ross, & Brewer, 2002; Hassel, 2005; May, 2006).

• More studies point to secondary education (6th- 12th grade)• KIPP has multiple studies that point to its success

• Re-segregation • In 2000, RPP International reported that charter schools in Connecticut,

Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Texas served significantly “higher percentages of students of color than all public schools in those states” (Rapp & Eckes, 2007, p. 617).

• approximately 70 % were minority in Charter compared to about 47% in TPSs

Charter School

Education Management Organizations (EMO)

Charter School

Sponsor/AuthorizerBall State Mayor’s office Indiana Charter School Board Evansville Vanderburgh Community Schools Grace CollegeLafayette Schools Corporation Trine university

Daleville Community Schools

Charter Management Organization (CMO)

EMOs & CMOs• These organizations serve the basic purpose of providing

centralized support to a group of schools. They provide the administrative support to hire, evaluate, and provide professional development for the teaching staff, while fulfilling reporting and financial oversight responsibilities.

Charter Management Organization (CMO)

• According to the National Resource Center on Charter School Finance and Governance (NRC), a “CMO is a non-profit organization that creates a group of schools with a shared educational vision and mission.” The CMO provides administrative support to the individual schools.

Charter Management Organization (CMO)• CMOs in Indy• Indiana Math and Science Academy - Indianapolis• Indiana Math and Science Academy - North• KIPP Indianapolis College Preparatory • Andrew Academy• Padua Academy• Monument Lighthouse Charter School*• Indianapolis Lighthouse Charter School *

• Example of CMOs• Edpowers (http://www.edpower.org/)• ADI (http://adicharterschools.org/) • Concept Schools (http://www.conceptschools.org/)

Independent Charter Schools •Are independent charter schools different than charter schools that are part of CMOs?

• According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Web site, the majority (77.8%) of charters schools in the United States in 2009-2010 are freestanding, having been started by educators, parents, activists, and others. Freestanding charters have the full responsibility of running a school, including the administration, finances, curricula, instruction, teacher hiring, evaluation, reporting, etc. As a result, EMOs and CMOs have sprung up since charters began appearing in 1991.

Independent Charter Schools• Independent Charter Schools in Indy• Irvington Community School • Charles A Tindley Accelerated School• Christel House Academy • Christel House DORS • Damar Charter Academy• Excel Center for Adult Learners• Flanner House Elementary School • Fountain Square Academy• Herron High School• Hope Academy• Indianapolis Metropolitan High School• Paramount School of Excellence• Southeast Neighborhood School of Excellence (SENSE) • The Challenge Foundation Academy• Tindley Preparatory Academy

Education Management Organizations (EMO)

• According to Miron and Urschel (2009), an EMO, is an “organization or firm that manages schools that receive public funds, including district and charter public schools. A contract details the terms under which executive authority to run one or more schools is given to an EMO, usually in return for a commitment to produce measurable outcomes within a given time frame.”

Education Management Organizations (EMO)• EMOs in the city• Indiana Virtual School• Imagine Indiana Life Sciences Academy - East• Imagine Life Sciences Academy - West• Indiana Connections Academy• Hoosier Academy – Indianapolis• Andrew J. Brown

• Examples of EMO• Charter USA (http://www.charterschoolsusa.com/)• Education Connection

(http://www.connectionsacademy.com/home.aspx)

How they perform in the city (preliminary)

• EMO VS. CMO*• Not any substantial difference

• CMO• Not enough information

• *More statistical analysis is needed across the state• Control for percentage of Black students• Curriculum focus• Primary & Secondary

Concerns with EMO• Profiting from our kids• Using untested/unproven models on our kids• For-profit entities running our schools • For-profit entities overall influence on education

• Folks without a proven track record in education • Earl Martin Phalen

EMO Money Trail

School Name SponsorEMO, CMO, or Non-

Profit

State Assigned

GradePercentage of Black Est. Sponsorship fee Est. Management fee

Imagine Indiana Life Sciences Academy - East

Ball State University EMO F 80 $146,508.87

$439,526.61 - $732,544.35

Imagine Life Sciences Academy - West

Ball State University

EMO under Imagine

schools of indiana C 72 $120,055

$360165.06 - $600,275.10

Indiana Connections Academy

Ball State University

EMO is connections

education LLC D 11 $233,547.56 $700642.71 - $1167737.84

Hoosier Academy – Indianapolis & Virtual

Ball State University

EMO (Academy Indianpolis & Virtual under same charter

K12) B/F 12 $58,939.25 $176817.78 -

$294696.3

EMO Money Trail

School Name SponsorEMO, CMO, or

Non-Profit

State Assigned

GradePercentage of

Black Est. Sponsorship fee Est. Management fee

Indiana Virtual School

Daleville Community Schools EMO N/A 33 $1,011.15

$3033.45 - $5055.75

Charter School

Education Management Organizations (EMO)

Charter School

Sponsor/AuthorizerBall State Mayor’s office Indiana Charter School Board Evansville Vanderburgh Community Schools Grace CollegeLafayette Schools Corporation Trine university

Daleville Community Schools

Charter Management Organization (CMO)

Indiana Connection Academy Indiana Virtual Schools

Connections Educations LLC B.C.I. Business

Consulting Incorporates

$7,784,919.25 Million

$700642.71 - $1167737.84

Who is Pearson?• Publishers they own, • Adobe, Scott Foresman, Penguin, Longman, Wharton, Harcourt,

Puffin, Prentice Hall, or Allyn & Bacon (among others). • Their tests • National Assessment of Educational Progress• Stanford Achievement Test (SAT)• Millar Analogy Test• G.E.D.

• Data systems• PowerSchool • SASI.

Who is Pearson? Cont.• The largest educational assessment company in the U.S. [UK

based company]• Openly Traded • Twenty-five states use them as their only source of large-scale

testing, and they give and mark over a billion multiple choice tests every year.

• They are one of the largest suppliers of textbooks in the world• Especially when they British imprint EdExcel

• International revenue around 500 million pounds (close to a billion dollars)

Their reach is HUGE!!• They have prominently partnered with University of Phoenix,

whose parent company’s CEO also sits on the board of Teach for America• Is a partner on the N.E.O. Plan

• Common Core and Race to the Top have played directly into the hands of Pearson• Text books• Assess NY teacher licensure process beginning in 2014

• Susan Fuhrman, President of Teachers College-Columbia University is listed as a non-executive director of Pearson. As of February 29, 2012, she held 12,927 shares of Pearson stock valued at $240,000. As a non-executive director she also receives an annual fee of 65,000 or almost $100,000.

Indiana Developmental and Content Standards for Educators Final Report (REPA)

Prepared for:Indiana Department of Education

151 West Ohio StreetIndianapolis, IN 46204

Developed and Produced byEvaluation Systems

PearsonCopyright

Recommendation• Questioning what is the intent of N.E.O.• Charters must exhibit a track record of success with AA children

with • At least 7 years of successfully educating AA students*

• Demand IDOE published (user-friendly) operations budgets of all schools and include contracts with EMO/CMOs.

• Develop a comprehensive committee that will research and interrogate school choice for our community and create guidelines, based upon criteria• Academic rigor• Curriculum

• Common Core/State Standards• Cultural affirmation• Cultural competency

• Fiscal transparency• High Performing and culturally (& physically) safe schools

Flight on the eastside