JUNE 29, 1999

TESTIMONY OF LOUIS STEADWELL
MEMBER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FRIENDS OF CHOICE IN URBAN SCHOOLS (FOCUS)
AND MERIDIAN PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLD.C. BOARD OF EDUCATION
SUBCOMMITTEE ON PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS PUBLIC HEARING

Good evening Subcommittee Chair Kinlow and other members of the subcommittee. My name is Louis Steadwell. Thank you for the opportunity to talk about the progress and achievements and the promise of the District's public charter schools.

I am a D.C. public school parent, member of the board of directors of FOCUS, an active member of the D.C. Public Charter School Coalition and the chair of the board of trustees of Meridian School, which is slated to open in September.

I have sent four children to D.C. public schools and became interested in the idea of charter schools when my oldest was at Wilson high school. I joined focus because of my interest in its work providing leadership and support to the network of charter school leaders and advocates.

This past school year has witnessed extraordinary growth for charter schools in the District. There are now 19 charter schools in operation educating more than 3,500 students. Up to 10 more schools are set to open in September. Several of the existing schools will be adding grade levels. Of the 19 schools in operation, 10 were chartered by the Board of Education, the other nine by the D.C. Public Charter School Board.

Through the D.C. Charter School Coalition, we are in contact with nearly all of these schools. We have been impressed by the talent and dedication of the charter school founders and encouraged by the overall quality of the schools. Public charter school programs serve the entire spectrum of D.C. public school students: those with special needs, including adjudicated students; those who are two-to-three years behind grade level; and adult students pursuing their G.E.D. There is a school with a program for teenage parents. Very young students are learning through arts-infused or foreign language curricula. There are charter schools that have a public policy or technology emphasis and other schools that take more traditional approaches to learning.

Upcoming schools offer even more diversity -- from Hospitality High and Booker T. Washington with their emphasis on developing skilled workers, to Roots Public Charter School offering an academically challenging African-centered education, to the classics-based Meridian school with which I am affiliated. The point of commonality of these schools is a genuine commitment to offer residents of the District a high quality and responsive educational environment.

It is far too early to make precise statements about the broader impact of charter schools on student achievement. Early indications are that the positive psychological effects on students reported by parents is mirrored by increases in student performance on standardized tests. While not yet publicized, early reports from the schools show significant improvement of many of their students over the year on the Stanford 9 tests.

Anecdotal reports from parents and students suggest that families are more involved in school programs, students are enjoying learning experiences and they are achieving in remarkable ways. For a large percentage of the parents and students with whom we have been in contact, this is the first time school has been a place where they feel they are known, where their individual needs are addressed, and where they feel they are making real academic progress. As one mother of a charter school student put it, in a hearing before the D.C. Council, “charter schools have been like a gift from heaven for me and my son.” Also, a highly regarded educational advocate reports that she has referred at least 20% of the students in her charge to public charter schools – to great effect.

The success of charter schools has not come without challenges. We are pleased that the Board of Education and the Public Charter School Board have put in place processes for monitoring charter schools to ensure their accountability. We in the charter school movement think that accountability is good. We look forward to the day when all public schools are held to the same high standards to which charter schools are held. Until then, charter school leaders stand ready to educate our students in the District of Columbia with a commitment to innovation, openness and academic excellence. We look forward to continuing to work with this subcommittee toward the goal of improving public education for all our students.

Thank you.