New York Charter Schools
Legislative Advocacy
January 2010
History of charter schools
• The charter school movement began in the early
1990s
• Minnesota was the first state to pass a charter
school law in 1991
• New York followed in 1998 with the New York
State Charter Schools Act (Education Law no.
2850-2857)
• Currently 41 states and the District of Columbia
have laws allowing for Charter Schools
http://www.nyccharterschools.org
Charter schools by the numbers
• Currently, there are nearly 5,000 charter
schools in 39 states and the District of
Columbia, attended by more than 1.5 million
students
• As of fall 2009, New York City has 99 charter
schools serving more than 30,000 students
• For the 2009-10 school year, approximately
40,000 students applied for 8,500 available
seats in New York City
http://www.nyccharterschools.org
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Graphic source: The Effects of New York City’s Charter Schools on Student Achievement (2009) by Caroline
Hoxby, Sonali Murarka, & Jenny Kang
Charter school governance
• Charter schools operate independently, and
are governed by a not-for-profit board of
trustees
• They are exempt from many state and local
regulations regarding curriculum, personnel
hiring, and financial management
• However, all charter schools are accountable
for student achievement on state exams;
students must take and pass NY Regents
exams
http://www.nyccharterschools.org
Charter school funding
• charter schools are public schools, funded by tax
dollars, but they can also receive funding from private
donors and non-profit organizations
• primary revenue source: per-pupil allocation from the
state government, determined by a standard formula
that assures fewer dollars per pupil than the local
district schools
• charter schools are eligible for federal funding for
disadvantaged and disabled students
• unlike traditional public schools, charter schools do
not receive any funding for school facilities
http://www.nyccharterschools.org
Charter school student selection
• Student entry to charter schools must be
based on a lottery system
• Research shows that lotteried-in and
lotteried-out applicants are alike on every
observable dimension: race, ethnicity,
gender, poverty, disability, English proficiency
• Students in New York City charter schools
may not be selected on the basis of factors
such as demographics or test scores
http://www.nyccharterschools.org
NYC Charter school: KIPP
• KIPP = Knowledge is Power Program
• KIPP NYC serves 1,300 students and 700 alumni;
80% from low-income families, 98% African American
or Latino, all selected by lottery
• 95% of KIPP NYC students scored at or above grade
level in state math testing; 83% in English
• 93% of KIPP NYC students graduated from high
school (twice the New York City average)
• 86% of students go to college (more than twice the
national average for low income students)
• Innovative programs: longer school days, Saturday
school, music program, college support team
http://www.kippnyc.org/about/overview
NYC Charter school:
The Equity Project Charter School
• The Equity Project is a 480-student middle
school in Washington Heights that opened in
September 2009 (5th grade, building to 8th)
• Based on the premise that teacher quality is
the most important school-based factor in
academic success
• three-pronged strategy “the 3 R’s”: Rigorous
Qualifications, Redefined Expectations, &
Revolutionary Compensation
http://www.tepcharter.org/philosophy.php
New York City
Charter Schools Evaluation Project
Caroline Hoxby et al. 2009
• Funded by a grant from the U.S. Institute of
Education Sciences (IES), part of the U.S.
Department of Education
• Data on absolute test scores, value added
performance, lottery-in vs. lottery-out data and
social demographics
• Data analyzed for this study ranges from the 20002001 through the 2007-2008 academic years
http://www.nyccharterschools.org
Hoxby et al. 2009
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http://www.nyccharterschools.org
Hoxby et al. 2009
math and language arts grades 3 to 8
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http://www.nyccharterschools.org
Hoxby et al. 2009
Regents performance, grades 9 to 12
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The impact of these incremental increases is that for every
year of charter school attendance, students are 7% more
likely to pass the Regent’s examination on graduation
Scarsdale-Harlem model
Hoxby et al. 2009
• The Scarsdale-Harlem achievement gap is a term
used to compare achievement levels of students
from one of the most affluent New York suburbs,
Scarsdale, with those of students in Harlem
• Hoxby's report shows that, on average, students
who attended a charter school from kindergarten
through eighth grade closed the Scarsdale-Harlem
achievement gap by 86 percent in math and by 66
percent in English
http://www.nyccharterschools.org
Hoxby et al. 2009: key factors
• In evaluating the progress made by charter school students
versus students who were lotteried-out, the Hoxby report
cites policies that seem to be tied with school success:
– Long school year
– Larger amount of time devoted to English every day
– Disciplinary policies that offer small rewards/small
penalties for student behavior
– Teacher pay based on performance rather than solely
based on seniority/tenure
– Mission statement that underscores academic
performance over other goals
http://www.nyccharterschools.org
Hoxby et al. 2009: conclusions
• Charter schools have a positive effect on
student achievement
• The nearly always positive effect is due to
things charter schools share: autonomy,
governance, incentives, flexibility
• The size of the effect is moderate for a single
year, but adds up over time to close the
achievement gap
• Certain policies should be tested more
broadly, such as longer school year and
flexible pay
http://www.nyccharterschools.org
Center for Research on Education
Outcomes (CREDO) Report
Charter School Performance (2009)
by Margaret Raymond, Stanford University
• study examined 20,640 students from 49 public charter
schools and compared them to demographically matched
students in nearby public schools
• 17% of charter schools reported academic gains that were
significantly better than traditional public schools
• 46% showed no difference from public schools
• 37% were significantly worse than their traditional public
school counterparts
http://credo.stanford.edu June 2009
CREDO Study 2009:
conclusions
• U.S. Charter schools showed a significantly
greater variation in quality as compared with
the more standardized public schools
• Many charter schools seem to fall below
public school performances, while a small
number few exceed them significantly
http://credo.stanford.edu June 2009
Race to the Top
“ It's time to stop just talking about education
reform and start actually doing it. It's time
to make education America's national
mission.”
- President Barack Obama, November 4, 2009
Race to the Top legislation
• Signed by President Obama on February 17, 2009
• Sponsored in the Senate by Ted Kennedy
• 4.35 billion dollar incentive program designed by
the US Dept of Education to promote progressive
reform in the US education system, grades K
through 12
• Competitive program whereby states will be
appropriated funding based on the merits of their
reform proposals
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/executive-summary.pdf
Race to the Top: goals
• Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students
to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in
the global economy
• Building data systems that measure student growth and
success, and inform teachers and principals about how
they can improve instruction
• Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective
teachers and principals, especially where they are needed
most
• Turning around the lowest-achieving schools
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/executive-summary.pdf
Race to the top: selection criteria
A. State Success Factors (125 points)
* (A)(3) Demonstrating significant progress in raising achievement and closing gaps
B. Standards and Assessments (70 points)
* (B)(1) Developing and adopting common standards
C. Data Systems to Support Instruction (47 points)
* (C)(1) Fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system
D. Great Teachers and Leaders (138 points)
* (D)(2) Improving teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance
E. Turning Around the Lowest-Achieving Schools (50 points)
* (E)(2) Turning around the lowest- achieving schools
F. General Selection Criteria (55 points)
* (F)(2) Ensuring successful conditions for high-performing charters and other
innovative schools
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/executive-summary.pdf
Race to the Top: Charter Schools
(F)(2) Ensuring successful conditions for high-performing charter schools
(i) The State has a charter school law that does not prohibit or effectively inhibit
increasing the number of high-performing charter schools in the State…
(ii) The State has laws, statutes, regulations, or guidelines regarding how charter
school authorizers approve, monitor, hold accountable, reauthorize, and close
charter schools; in particular, whether authorizers require that student
achievement be one significant factor, among others, in authorization or
renewal…
(iii) The State’s charter schools receive equitable funding compared to traditional
public schools, and a commensurate share of local, State, and Federal
revenues…
(iv) The State provides charter schools with funding for facilities…and the extent to
which the State does not impose any facility-related requirements on charter
schools that are stricter than those applied to traditional public schools
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/executive-summary.pdf
“Right now, there are many caps on how many
charter schools are allowed in some states, no
matter how well they're preparing our students.
That isn't good for our children, our economy, or
our country.”
- President Barack Obama, March 10th 2009
Race to the Top: timeline
• Phase 1 applications for funding were due on
January 19th, 2010
• 40 states applied for funding
• Phase 1 winners will be announced in April 2010
• The deadline for submitting Phase 2 applications is
June 1st; phase 2 decisions will be announced in
September 2010
• New York State’s share of the funding could be as
large as $ 700 Million dollars
New York charter schools:
new legislation
• New York Charter Schools Act of 1998
allowed for 100 charter schools in the state
• Cap on charter schools in New York was
raised to 200 in 2007
• Charter Schools in NY are evaluated and
selected by The New York State Board of
Regents and the State University of New
York’s Board of Trustees
NYC charter schools:
understanding the cap
• 100 charters may be authorized by the SUNY
Board of Trustees
• 100 charters may be authorized by the NYC
Schools Chancellor (Joel Klein), other local school
boards, or the state Board of Regents
• When an authorized school closes (or if it never
opens at all), it still counts against the cap
www.nycchartercenter.org
Hoyt legislation 2009
• Part of New York’s application for educational
funding through Race to the Top
• Proposed by State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (DBuffalo) in October 2009
• Bill would double the number of charter schools
allowed in the state (from 200 to 400)
• Reserves at least 50 of the new schools for large
urban districts like New York City
www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/nyregion/18charter.html
Hoyt legislation: limitations
• Bill would impose new regulations on the
process of evaluating and approving new
charter schools, particularly in NYC
• Removes authority from the city (Mayor
Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein) and
the SUNY Board of Trustees to approve new
schools, giving ultimate authority to the
state’s Board of Regents
www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/nyregion/18charter.html
Hoyt legislation: limitations
• Requires a more stringent review process, in
particular requiring parental approval from schools
where new charter schools will be built alongside
existing public schools
• Mandates public hearings each time a charter
schools is opened or moved
• Also prohibits for-profit corporations from opening
charter schools
www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/nyregion/18charter.html
Bloomberg on the new bill
“The bill is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, plain and
simple, that would destroy a charter law that is a
national model -- and surely weaken our application
for federal dollars…There are tens of thousands of
New York City children on charter school waiting
lists, and they deserve better than this.”
- Michael Bloomberg, January 18, 2010
www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/nyregion/18charter.html
Sheldon Silver on the new bill
“Contrary to Mayor Bloomberg’s statements, this bill
would place no limit on continued charter school
growth in New York City. The only limits it places
are on his and Chancellor Klein’s unchecked ability
to completely disregard the voices of traditional
public school parents”
- Sheldon Silver, State Assembly Speaker
www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/nyregion/18charter.html
Governor Paterson on the new bill
• Governor backs the lifting of the charter cap, but
not the additional restrictions
• Likely to veto the bill if it is passed in the New York
State Assembly
“It would ultimately undermine the improvement that
the Race to the Top grants intend to achieve”
www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/opinion/26tues2.html
Current status: NYC RTTT
• New York State submitted an application to
the Race to the Top program on January
19th, 2010
• The bill lacked a plan allowing for more
charter schools (no change to the cap on the
number of NY charter schools)
• It remains to be seen what funding will be
allocated to New York, given its failure to
include this fundamental element of RTTT
• Second round of applications are due June
1st, 2010…what will happen then?