- Does DC have for-profit charters? Yes and no [Imagine Southeast PCS, Imagine Hope Community PCS, BASIS DC PCS, Community Academy PCS, and Options PCS mentioned]
- Remarks by the First Lady Before Number Seven School Classroom Visit - Chengdu, China [Washington Yu Ying PCS mentioned]
- Obama officials tout Race to the Top, saying it has unleashed ‘enormous positive change’
- D.C. Mayor Wants to Fund Longer School Day in Lowest-Performing Schools
Does DC have for-profit charters? Yes and no [Imagine Southeast PCS, Imagine Hope Community PCS, BASIS DC PCS, Community Academy PCS, and Options PCS mentioned]
Greater Greater Education
By Natalie Wexler
March 25, 2014
DC law requires that charter schools be organized as nonprofit corporations. But some of them have legally turned over management of the school to a for-profit company. Is there anything wrong with that?
Critics of charters, including some in DC, sometimes depict the schools as money-making enterprises and argue that the profit motive has no place in education. Apparently agreeing with that view, the DC Council mandated that all charters be nonprofits when it first set up the charter system in 1995.
But there's no prohibition against charters entering into contracts with for-profit companies. While some of those contracts are just for ancillary services like transportation or accounting, it's also possible for the board of a nonprofit school to turn over management of the school as a whole to a for-profit entity.
Nationwide, enrollment in schools managed by for-profits is growing. In DC, the vast majority of charters either manage schools themselves or have contracted with a nonprofit charter management organization. But, according to a spokesperson for the Public Charter School Board (PCSB), a few have entered into management arrangements with for-profit companies.
A mixed bag
Those schools are a mixed bag in terms of quality. Imagine Schools, which operates schools in 11 states and DC, was a for-profit company until last year, according to the PCSB. This year, one of the Imagine-operated schools in DC, Imagine Southeast, was in such bad shape that it agreed to be taken over by another charter organization to avoid closure.
Imagine Schools has also run into trouble elsewhere, most notably in St. Louis, where all 6 Imagine schools were closed because of financial and academic problems.
Imagine still manages another charter school with two campuses in DC, but it can be hard to make the connection between that school and Imagine. While the school's website uses the title "Imagine Hope Community Charter School," the PCSB and Learn DC websites refer to the schools only as Hope Community Lamond and Hope Community Tolson.
Neither school fares particularly well in evaluations, with Lamond receiving the lowest rating from the PCSB, Tier 3, and Tolson getting a middling Tier 2 rating. Proficiency rates are about 39% at Lamond and 53% at Tolson.
BASIS DC, on the other hand, which is managed by a high-achieving for-profit network that relies on a rigorous approach, appears to be doing much better academically. While administrators at the DC school had to adjust their expectations because incoming students lacked basic skills, last year students still scored 77% proficient in math and 81% in reading, well above the averages for both DCPS and charter students. (The school opened in 2012 and hasn't yet received a Tier designation from the PCSB.)
At the same time, both federal and local authorities have launched investigations into complaints that BASIS DC was not providing its special-education students with legally required services.
Community Academy
One other charter in DC has contracted with for-profit management companies, according to the PCSB. Community Academy, which operates schools at 4 locations in DC, actually uses two for-profit management companies. One, called Community Action Partners Charter School Management, exists only to provide management services to Community Academy.
The other, K12, Inc., operates a branch of Community Academy that is a virtual school, with all services provided online. K12, which is based in Northern Virginia, is not only for-profit, it's the largest for-profit provider of K-12 online instruction and one of the few education-related companies that is publicly traded.
Community Academy's brick-and-mortar campuses have had their troubles. Two years ago, the entire school was in danger of having its charter revoked because one campus was underperforming academically, but the school was able to work out a compromise and stay open.
One of the campuses is a Tier 3 school and two others are Tier 2, although one of those, Butler Global, has been designated Tier 1 in the past. The fourth campus hasn't received a designation because it serves only preschool and kindergarten students.
Nationally, K12, Inc. has been criticized for allegedly maximizing growth and profits and failing to meet the needs of students, especially those who are low-income or at-risk. But Community Academy Online, a K-8 school with 120 students, seems to perform at least adequately.
It's a Tier 2 school, and its overall proficiency rates are 61% in math and 69% in reading. Students who are eligible for free and reduced lunch (presumably a mere technicality at an online school) fare only a little worse in reading, at 67%. Their proficiency rate in math is only 52%, but that's still better than the District average.
At least some parents were happy enough with the online school that they submitted an application to start a high school that would blend online and traditional instruction, to be called DC Flex. Like Community Academy Online, the school would be managed by K12.
But in February of last year the PCSB rejected the application on the grounds that there was a "lack of support" from "the central office," presumably K12's. "Students who were self-motivated and asked for help from their teachers were immediately assisted," according to the PCSB minutes, "but the students who were not engaged did not get any support from the teachers to stay focused on their academics."
Does it make a difference?
Does it make any difference that a school is managed by a for-profit entity? Some argue that the distinction is a red herring. Even if an organization's objective is to make money, they say, it still has to offer a product or service—in this case, education—that people find to be of value.
And, some say, for-profit management organizations even have certain advantages. Because they can attract capital more easily than non-profits, they may be able to grow faster, attract better talent, and innovate more readily.
Still, at least at first glance, it looks as though the DC Council made a judgment that charters should be nonprofits, and their ability to hand over management of the school to a for-profit appears to be an end-run around that.
But a spokesperson for the PCSB says that its policy requires that the local board of the charter school must remain completely independent of any for-profit management company it contracts with. There can be no overlapping board members, and the management agreement must be arms-length and capable of being terminated easily.
That, along with PCSB oversight, may be enough protection against operators that are just out to make a buck. Providers of virtual education like K12 are the most likely to prioritize profits over quality. Their profit margins may be higher because they don't have to deal with the expenses of brick-and-mortar schools. From what I've seen, high-performing charter schools don't actually make money. In fact, they're usually reliant on private contributions to stay afloat.
It's true that the DC schools operated by for-profit entities don't have stellar records, at least so far. But their problems may have nothing to do with the for-profit status of their operators. In the end, the nonprofit/for-profit distinction is probably less important than other criteria, like how well a school is actually educating its students.
And as the recent allegations against the administrators of Options PCS illustrate, the mere fact that a school is managed by a nonprofit is no guarantee against operators who are focused on enriching themselves at the expense of children.
Remarks by the First Lady Before Number Seven School Classroom Visit - Chengdu, China [Washington Yu Ying PCS mentioned]
U.S. Politics Today
The White House
Office of the First Lady
March 25, 2014
Number Seven High School Chengdu, China
11:16 A.M. CST
MRS. OBAMA: (Applause.) Well, Im very excited to meet all of you. I am here to learn from you. Im very interested to hear all the things youre doing here at the Number Seven School. Im really interested to see how the distance-learning program works here; it sounds very exciting.
And also, Im open to answering any questions that you all have as well, so feel free. So Im going to stop talking, because I want to hear from you. But thank you for such a warm welcome.
You all truly make me proud, and it is wonderful to be able to highlight all that youre doing here to students here in the United States who are following my trip. So you all are wonderful examples and wonderful representation of your country.
So thank you. (Applause.)
MR. XIE: Mrs. Obama -- for your coming. We, too, feel very honored for your coming. As you can see here, its our usual class. And every day, we have tens of thousands of students having the class at the same time. And we are from Number Seven High School -- campus district schools. And here you can see in the screen is a district school from Wen Jiang Number Two, the school. Its a town not very far away from Chengdu, like half-an hour drive from Chengdu. But we still have another school from our -- distant school, and its about four hours drive. Its in Nanchong, Yi Long High School.
So we are very eager to ask you questions later. But first of all, we would like to greet the -- welcome you. So would you please say something to our First Lady here?
STUDENT: Hello, Mrs. Obama.
MRS. OBAMA: Hello.
STUDENT: Nice to see you. Well, my question is --
MR. XIE: Oh, a question for you.
STUDENT: -- weve seen many examples of creative Americans, so how do you think school education makes students become creative? Thank you.
MR. XIE: First of all, a question for you. So see how they are eager to ask you questions. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Well, looking back on when I was young, when I was your age -- probably even younger -- that was the first time that I got the spark of creativity myself. One of the things I loved to do and still continue to love to do is to write. And some of my best teachers were in school; they were the people who encouraged me to write, who gave me the skills, who showed me new ideas, new approaches. They exposed me to literature, and to other great works that fed my creativity.
But also, the wonderful thing about education is that you are surrounded by your peers. And often, it is your peers who push you and encourage your creativity. So having the opportunity to come to school every day with other young people who are struggling with the same issues and have the same hopes -- they push you to be even better.
So thats one of the reasons why I think its so important for every child in this world to have access to an education like you all have. And thats why I think this distance-learning program is such a wonderful model for reaching out to kids who may not live near schools but can still get the quality education that they need, so that we make sure that we tap into all the creativity of young people like you and none of that energy goes to waste.
Thank you for the question.
STUDENT: Thank you.
MR. XIE: Thank you. Great. (Applause.) Thank you. So of course we have other students here in the school, and we are still prepare -- I think they prepared questions for you. So do they get the chance to ask you questions? No?
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, well -- tell me, whats the --
MR. XIE: I mean, the students here --
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, thats right. You guys are supposed to ask. (Laughter.) So, please.
STUDENT: Excuse me. Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Obama. As we all know, we are a generation leading the 21st century, and people leading this time are under too much pressure competing with each other. So what I wonder is, whats the technical ability, do you think -- should teens just like us have as our core competitiveness to surviving such a society? Thank you.
MRS. OBAMA: I understand this because I have a teenage daughter who is in her second year. Shes a great student, but she feels the stress of trying to succeed. Like you, shes concerned about already what college shes going to. My youngest daughter, who is just 12, is already talking about colleges.
So youre absolutely right, your generation feels a level of pressure that is oftentimes difficult. But the one thing that I tell my daughters -- and its something that I hope you understand -- is that your education, first and foremost, is for you. You have to have it in your mind that everything youre doing is, first and foremost, for yourself and your own development.
I mean, I spoke in my speech about how I felt like I had to make my parents proud, and that was important motivation for me. But in order to work as hard as youre going to have to, you have to do it for yourself. You have to have the vision in your head of where you want to be. And you have to not let the disappointment of inevitable failure -- which happens to us all -- let you down.
We have all failed. I have had some miserable failures in my life -- tests I didnt do well on, big exams I had embarrassing failures on. My husband, the same way -- he wasnt always a great student. But its the perseverance, its the sense of what your own goal is, and its pushing beyond your fear of failure to make sure that youre still trying to be the best that you can be.
I dont know if that directly answered your question.
STUDENT: Thank you.
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.)
MR. XIE: Another question here. Yes.
STUDENT: Nice to meet you, Mrs. Obama. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: You all arent shy. I love that. (Laughter.)
STUDENT: I know you are in China for -- in some -- in a few days. So my question is, whats your impression about the people you meet, the cities you have gone to, and the food you eat in China? (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: This is my first time visiting China, and let me tell you, it has been a phenomenal experience. Words cant describe -- I mean, I dont know if you followed my trip. I started in Beijing, yesterday we were in Xian, and today Im here in Chengdu.
And the cities are so vast and so complex and so different from one another. You cant lump any aspect of China into one stereotype. As I mentioned in my speech, sometimes in the United States, people dont -- theyve never visited China, they dont know much about the culture, so sometimes they sort of exist on those stereotypes and misconceptions. Fortunately, I travel a little more than most people in the United States so Im already pretty open to new cultures. But thats one of the things that I want to do through this trip.
I want to encourage more young people in the United States to, what I call, step outside of their comfort zones and try new things -- get on a plane, travel to another country, experience another language, try new foods. Because, as I said in my speech, underneath all of those difference, were still the same. When I look into your eyes -- and Ive met many young people -- you all remind me of my girls. You remind me of my kids. And I want for you what I want for them and what I want for all kids.
And the kids -- the young people Ive met here, you all remind me of the kids that Ive met in India, the kids that Ive met in Moscow -- I could go on and on. You all are born with innate gifts, warmth, a possibility for hope that I dont want you to lose. And I want us to be in a world that cultivates that for all of you.
So that is my passion. But being here in China just reminds me, yes, we have millions and millions of phenomenal young people who deserve access to the best that the world has to offer. So it has been a true privilege, but, more importantly, Ive been glad that Ive been able to bring along other kids in the United States who are following this trip. And maybe they too will think, maybe Ill come to Chengdu, and maybe I will study at Number Seven School -- (laughter) -- and learn how to speak Chinese as well as you all speak English.
So that is my hope.
STUDENT: And whats your impression about Chengdu and our school?
MRS. OBAMA: Chengdu is beautiful. I mean, I have to say, when we drove in last night I didnt expect it -- it is -- the river that runs through the city is beautiful. The walkway is gorgeous. We came in at night, the lights were breathtaking. In Beijing -- theres much more green space here than in a bigger city -- (laughter) -- in Beijing, which was wonderful to see.
I didnt get to go out last night, but Im going to have lunch here. So Im going to try some traditional dishes, so Ill have to let you know. Im sure Ill love it.
But the impression is absolutely wonderful. I told my kids -- I dont know if this is politically correct -- but Chengdu is probably the kind of city that I would choose to live in if I were to come to China.
STUDENTS: Ooohh --
MRS. OBAMA: But thats no -- (laughter) -- of all of the other cities. But this one is -- its beautiful.
STUDENT: Okay. Have fun in Chengdu. Thank you. (Applause.)
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you.
MR. XIE: -- you have another student from a distance who made -- who wants to ask you another question. Would you please? Yes. And this student is -- well, will you just wait for a moment because we cannot hear you properly. (Laughter.) Yes, would you please say it -- also again? Sorry to interrupt you.
STUDENT: Oh, okay. (Laughter.) I heard that you had tried Chinese calligraphy in Beijing, and I want to know, are you interested in any other forms of Chinese culture like kung fu, (inaudible,) and so on. Thats all. Thank you.
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. I think I might get to try some tai chi while Im here at this school. I think thats what my staff told me.
And one of my fathers favorite sports -- he introduced us -- and I dont know how he knew -- to badminton when we were -- and Im not any good at it now. But when we were little, we had a badminton set and we would set it up in our backyard, and we played when I was little. I learned how to play badminton -- again, I am no good at it now. (Laughter.)
But, yes, Im interested in learning so much more. And thats one of the reasons why I am excited about the school I mentioned in my speech, the Yu Ying School, which is in Washington, D.C. Its a charter school thats completely dedicated to Chinese culture and Chinese language. And every single student at that school, from the age of three on up, theyre learning to speak Chinese at a very young age. Theyre learning everything about the culture, the music, the dance, the film, the food.
And thats part of my hope that I will encourage through my trip, is that more and more young people in the United States will explore and learn more about Chinese culture. So, yes, I am interested in doing so much more.
MR. XIE: Thank you, Mrs. Obama. I know that -- (applause) -- we appreciate your time to be with us.
MRS. OBAMA: Were done? Thats it?
MR. XIE: Yes, well we want -- sorry, but we want you more --
MRS. OBAMA: Lets do one more question.
MR. XIE: One more question. Yes, youre lucky, guys. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: You choose. Its hard to pick.
STUDENT: Okay. So, hello, Mrs. Obama. As your daughter is now learning Chinese, has she ever thought being an exchange student in China, or even staying in China for some time?
MRS. OBAMA: My youngest -- we were trying to correct this in the media -- in fourth grade -- shes now in seventh grade -- they focused for a semester on Chinese culture. And thats -- and it happened to be the time when the Chinese President was there. So she knew some phrases when she was very young, but she didnt continue to study Chinese; she, instead, is taking Spanish.
I am encouraging both of my daughters to study abroad somewhere. Now, like any parent, I want it to be their choice, because if you tell kids at your age what to do, sometimes you do the exact opposite. (Laughter.) And theyre going to figure it out as they get older.
But my husband and I, we believe that because we are living in a more global economy where our world just feels a lot smaller -- because the Internet and so much of technology allows us to be closer to one another that it is so important for young people like you to be citizens of the world. You have to be comfortable traveling and living in all parts of the world, because thats how youre going to get jobs in the future, thats how youre going to be able to make contributions. Because we cant solve these problems together if we dont know one another. And the best way to learn about one another is to live together and learn each others languages.
So I want my girls to be global citizens. Now, whether their first effort at studying abroad is in China or Spain or you name it, I will be happy that they take that first step. So Im not going to commit them because that would be unfair for me to say, yes, theyre going to come to China. (Laughter.) And they will say, mom, why did you say that?
So well see as they get older.
STUDENT: So thank you.
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.)
MR. XIE: -- you are even more popular than Mr. Obama, right? (Laughter.) And so before you go, please leave us some encouraging words -- to young people? We do appreciate that.
MRS. OBAMA: Well, I think -- I can tell that you all are very serious students already, so I dont have to tell you how important education is because I think you know that. I can see that.
What I want to just remind you is that education is about more than learning words and numbers, and memorizing things, and taking tests and getting good scores. Its also about the experiences that you have. And I hope that, as you grow older, that youll understand that life is a balance; that you have to feed yourself with experiences to continue to grow.
That first question about creativity -- creativity comes because youre filling yourself with all kinds of different experiences that just shape your mind and shape your thinking. So if youre always comfortable and safe, then you have to think to yourself, well, how much am I learning if Im not pushing myself outside of my comfort zone? And I think thats the thing that I would encourage you all to do, is think about how youre going to continue to fill your life with experiences.
And some of that could be raising your own families, it could be travel, it could be taking up a new hobby, it could be exercising, it could be pursuing a different career than you ever thought youd ever pursue. But experiences are the other half of the educational process.
And sometimes we as adults just sort of focus on the scores -- and the scores are important now. (Laughter.) The grades are important, and I tell my kids that too. But think about how youre going to strike that balance so that you grow up to be well-rounded people. Because if youre going to be the leaders of your country, of the world, youve got to have a lot of experiences to draw from to make good judgments, and some of that is going to be about what youve learned in a book, but a lot of that is going to be about what youve learned by meeting and interacting with other people.
So keep learning from each other, and continue to be open to new experiences and to new ideas.
Obama officials tout Race to the Top, saying it has unleashed ‘enormous positive change’
The Washington Post
By Lyndsey Layton
March 25, 2014
The Obama administration on Tuesday credited its signature K-12 education program, Race to the Top, for unleashing “enormous positive change” in public school classrooms across the country.
In a conference call with reporters to mark the fourth anniversary of the creation of Race to the Top, the White House’s Domestic Policy Council director, Cecilia Muñoz, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan rattled off examples of what they said was proof that the $4 billion competitive grant was driving “dramatic change.”
A report on Race to the Top released by the White House on Tuesday was far more positive about the program than the Education Department’s own progress reports, which have regularly pointed out that, while some states have made headway, others have had trouble spending their money and lacked the capacity to follow through on the changes they promised in order to win their grants.
The administration created Race to the Top in 2010 with $4 billion appropriated by Congress to help stimulate the economy after the 2008 recession.
It offered tens of millions to cash-strapped states if they adopted education policies favored by the administration. These policies included adopting more-rigorous academic standards in math and reading, using student test scores to evaluate teachers and principals, and getting rid of bans or limits on public charter schools.
Eleven states and the District of Columbia won grants in the first round of the competition, and seven other states were named winners in a second round.
Race to the Top marked a turning point in the way the Education Department used competitive grants. Just to compete for the money, states had to adopt the Obama policies, even changing laws in some cases in order to be eligible for the contest — a point Duncan underlined.
“The $4 billion we put into Race to the Top is less than 1 percent” of the amount spent on education annually, he said. “It has sparked innovation in places that did not receive a nickel.”
The program has drawn fire from a range of players: Teachers unions, school administrators and members of Congress have argued that is unfair to give money to some states and not others. Other critics oppose the policies promoted by the administration, saying they are unproven.
Muñoz said Race to the Top had clearly sparked improvements.
“Four years later, we see the results,” she said. “Race to the Top grants helped spur reform and change that were so badly needed in our schools.”
She pointed to the fact that high school graduation rates are at a record high, at 80 percent, and that in 2013, students recorded the highest math and reading scores on a federally administered test, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, since that test was first given in the early 1990s.
But federal researchers have suggested that the high school graduation rate is likely due to a soft economy, because students tend to stay in school when they don’t have opportunities in the workforce. And while the NAEP scores are the highest they’ve been in 20 years, they have been incrementally increasing since 2005, growing by one or two percentage points a year.
Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, called the administration’s efforts a “PR stunt” that doesn’t prove Race to the Top is working.
“It proves the administration is clumsily trying to take credit for the extraordinary education reform movement happening in our nation’s schools,” Kline said.
The White House report on Race to the Top comes as President Obama is seeking $300 million from Congress in the fiscal 2015 budget to create a new iteration of the contest, which would give grants to states to close the achievement gap between poor and privileged students.
D.C. Mayor Wants to Fund Longer School Day in Lowest-Performing Schools
Education Week
By Samantha Stainburn
March 24, 2014
In his annual "State of the District" address this month, Washington Mayor Vincent Gray announced a proposal to help the city's 40 lowest-performing schools extend their school day, using funds from his budget plan for fiscal 2015.
Money for extending the school day will come from a new fund set aside for the district's neediest students. In total, Gray is proposing a $116 million increase to the district's public education budget. In his speech, Gray did not provide specifics on how much money might be spent on extending the school day nor how much time might be added.
"This will not simply be more time in school," Gray said during his March 11 speech, delivered at Kelly Miller Middle School in Northeast Washington. "With this funding, we will implement and expand programs to give students the comprehensive academic and enrichment programming that will allow them to meet 21st-century learning standards. Regardless of enrollment numbers, every [district] middle-schooler will be able to take algebra, a foreign language, art, music, and physical education."
The District of Columbia school system provided aid for a longer school day at nine public schools this academic year, using money from a DCPS innovation fund called Proving What's Possible. The cost is about $300,000 per school and the extra time has been used for more literacy or math instruction.
According to a DCPS statement, students in extended-day schools in the district improved their reading scores on the 2013 DC CAS by 7.2 percentage points and their math scores by 10.6 percentage points, compared with 3.9 percentage points in reading and 3.6 percentage points in math for students districtwide.
Students in the nation's capital are improving their performance on national tests. District students showed bigger gains than those in any state in the country on the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The District of Columbia's students also showed the most improvement in the country on the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA), which compares urban school districts on NAEP.
But D.C.'s NAEP scores are below the national average—only 17 percent of 8th graders scored proficient or better in reading (versus 34 percent of 8th graders nationwide) and just 19 percent scored proficient or better in math (versus 34 percent nationwide). And, Gray noted, there are still achievement gaps between different racial and socio-economic groups and different sections of the racially- and economically-divided city.
In proposing funds for a longer school day, Gray is joining political leaders like Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York in betting that more hours spent in school can increase academic achievement.
Gray will submit his budget proposal to the city council in April.