Charter Schools

It is 680 WRQ good morning Wednesday morning how today. This is weighing in around at some point today you say okay we're in the second half of the week we're gonna make it and that's an exciting thing. Gonna make it to the weekend manually god where is -- more than 1% of the year's already gun. Is that true. Well it's really is 65 days yet here and so three days when entering an -- is a long way toward set trying. That demand accomplished already that's bad news but also scary -- time -- fly -- tells us Fallujah has. My meth for Kyra remember mr. Fuji and the other is a good -- Our Jamie guesses here from the pioneer it's -- talk about the Achilles heel the Democratic Party which show for some reason. Republicans have never realized or seized upon but I think this year that may be handed to them as well because Deval Patrick is governor. And he has little chance of winning reelection he may be forced to drop out of the race it's gonna be so humiliating big story in the globe today about fundraising for. The next governor Charlie Baker. Who will be winning from the Republican side he's pro raising the -- very dramatic million he's our -- Chris Dodd is stepping down as gonna run for governor here. So there's an amazing political revolution going on and here in the state of Massachusetts. A totally controlled by Democrats. Where who claim their mantle as the leaders on education and education is falling apart the one bright hope we have. To escape the burden of the relationship the Democrats have with the teachers unions that has. I hampered education so in this country is the charter school movement in another pioneer it's just uses it a great deal of great work on promoting Charter Schools. While liberal politicians like Deval Patrick fight their progress send and -- and I have to give credit. To the president United States who is. Pushing a program that will -- it is a while trying to leverage people like Deval Patrick. To stop resisting the good school movement the charter school movement so Jamie grow with the there's a bill in front of the state legislature right now. That that the governor proposed. That would have tried them meet the expectations of the Obama administration for Massachusetts to stop fighting the progress of Charter Schools what's gone --

Then -- before we do than the I think we're Jordan do these. Went to define for people what Charter Schools -- case than people who just don't know the terminology. It basically under the 1983 Massachusetts -- reform act there was so. The creation of these independent public. A Charter Schools that are really essentially the deal is that there's a great deal of school autonomy. In exchange for greater can accountability so -- the schools don't perform with this. Independents. Status. In the shut down by the board of education -- and not under the ordinary rubric of the public know they're really unencumbered by a lot of the regulatory. Confinement sydor. Do you find because a local schools or doesn't run the -- writes -- right there and they're accountable to the state board of education and they're authorized and shut down by the state board of education but they're very much public schools. And to end their Indian frank they're they're much more accountable then you -- so why why air charters. There are -- a lot of the teachers the teachers to union doesn't like mile turn right all right because it's a both a loss of control and a loss of membership really.

And because Charter Schools have the ability to do it to be very successful because. But there more to -- Oreo because they had masters can fire teachers there's more accountability. Right you've gotta you've you don't total mark. Right yes switches. You know that's ugly to teachers unions that you should be. Paid based on performance rather than years of service right and it's early what.

Happening 1993 we have this historic. Ed reform laws in the deal was a great deal of state money in exchange for charter school's academic standards and cast teacher testing. It really is kind of catapulted Massachusetts at the top of the heap in the country revenge eve of the rest of it. Country actually competitive internationally now in math and science because of the work of pampering him and do Wheldon mark Roosevelt. When they created these these Charter Schools I think two no one could have expected the extent to which -- would end up being -- most successful. Model within the reform law they've really taken advantage of the best aspects of the perform -- that is academic standards accountability greater school economy. And so what's going on now is is that the house represented today he's taking up a bill. On charter school can uplifting there's some blue caps on an arbitrary caps on the number Charter Schools in Massachusetts. For a long time and so they're --

The Democrats basically have put a lid on how many good schools you can have right exactly and ended that the president is trying to leverage them. Two to release that lived so there can be more good schools Democrats don't want good schools they want unions scrambles and this movement is trying to undo that.

Write it from the beginning even in 1993 there was an effort to put caps and Charter Schools. And -- there was we are really a contentious part of the original reform -- folks like. Senator -- senate president Bolger and Tom Birmingham and others really fought them ultimately you're gonna reform law had twenty fives a cap of 25 schools in the late. I'm ninety's they lifted the cap again. And announcement in since then it's been sort of sitting there for for awhile what in Obama has really become a masterful about leveraging. The federal dollars to incentivize the kind of -- listing and change of behavior at the state level.

All but why is there -- fight then if you look at the wall Patrick his profile right right you've got is he -- said the mini me of Barack Obama he sees this he was plucked. Out of obscurity by David Axelrod to be made into a governor with a hope and change campaign together we can. Then he worked here and -- did it with Barack Obama. Barack Obama is out there -- doing what you'd expect him to do with the community activist -- the black guy you would expect him to try to fix the big problems report people in this country along with everybody else by fixing schools OK he's doing it. Deval Patrick. Is proposing legislation now on the surface. Is designed to meet Barack Obama is needs but behind the scenes all I hear about is that inside the bill. Is there reverse so what's going on.

Yeah I -- it is it the whole thing has been a little bit perplexing and in the last basically three years Governor Patrick has been for the most part pretty resistant to Charter Schools and the reason wise is it took three million dollars from them. In the teams have from the united teachers teachers unions in in the 2000. Six election. And so you know he's now sort of gotten religion. But but still the teachers' unions a lot of the opponents of charters are still dumping a lot of these poison pills. Even to reduce capitalist and that legislation.

This -- a question of cardinal or share did the teachers union support Deval Patrick. Because -- they knew he was with them on this or was she really inclined the other way but it was bought me my my inclination is. The -- with them that's why -- got the support.

I'm sure about why -- win them there's another way to go back to sense than actually getting but what you can look at it and say if a guys get three or four million dollars he can't raise money right now Deval Patrick because nobody wants him to be governor anymore. Except the people -- of three or four million dollars so if that's your friends are. And maybe doesn't matter whether the chicken or the egg came first at this point they're inseparable. Because you're gonna go where the incentives are in life the question is why would any rational human being in Deval Patrick's position. Fight Charter Schools. Real question the only answer you can look to is because the people hate good schools are given a lot of money.

Yeah well I think -- things sort of interest into his is that. And I'm not to sort of pile on but the -- know Patrick and Governor Patrick should lieutenant governor. Marie and secretary rebel all have attended themselves they attended private or high quality parochial schools and so so they know that this is what is a circumstance in which the -- you know. For much of the tenure that they've been around and conserve resisting the choice mechanisms that they themselves at some point benefited from. But you know indigenous fairness to them they have come around in all within the last six or nine months they've been pushing these bills. In for -- uplifting as well as some in district reforms. There are also really can -- things teachers genes so they are I mean they're there they're on the did the breaking a bit within it we can do with food teachers' unions but. It's still it's a kind of balancing act doesn't think Todd is right ultimately. Four reelection very dear Patrick administration fairly reliant we're talking with Cheney gas you know I'm. Tore through either going to be fairly reliant time on teacher unions but funding and so Jamie.

Cash this year for the pioneering should do pioneers though a lot of good work in terms of education in the forefront of this charter school movement we're talking about. Education in Massachusetts and and Charter Schools in particular. There have been some problems along normal first told this story step back how well of Charter Schools under -- that was the challenge of the beginning with. People said have Charter Schools and let's compare them to the ordinary public school model you -- to private schools and she how they do right how they don't.

They've done do you remarkably well and and it's really as it has said they essentially have been in this that this is the group of schools that have benefited. And taken advantage of -- reform law and all the tools that lawmakers created in 1993. Yeah but but you know match charter school in Boston rocks -- crap excel academy. Policy collegiate Sturgis. On the keep. -- on mystic valley charter. Sound this no doubt in Springfield and the schools are regarded as some of the best schools in the country how -- they know how do we know they're doing well we're doing that -- again they'd -- 'cause they have there a lot of these are our schools that are really -- academically serious and data driven. So they really likes SATA seven Springfield they really have embraced beat and M cast the day as a mechanism to help. Inform improvements in instruction and teacher quality. It's --

You know I Jamie I think -- is wrong with so what seems like an obvious assumption Indy eat it matters a little bit how well they've done but what's more important than how they've done is how they're structured. When a charter school stinks. It goes away. And that is in direct opposition to how the regular public schools work where the -- a teacher is in the worst school is -- more likely they are to be around forever. And that's the beauty of the charter school moment they don't have to be great schools because they don't get renewed.

But if they win they don't -- renewed usually the better once do get renewed and shall there receive feedback loop by built into the market play yes which should make. Charter Schools do better. And that that refinement now we've had enough time shall we should be seeing performance ultimately what's the objective of school. To turn out hr good -- out and educating.

Or your answer Jamie and I think most charter school supporters point to the successes and say look if you look at that the ratings of the best high schools in Massachusetts. The best elementary schools the only ones making the top art Charter Schools but overall I think obvious asking. Are we seeing a trend towards better education from the charter school movement -- apps.

Little women that the fact is is that they were designed to be sort of laboratories of innovation and there's a lot of best practices there's been. Extended day a there has been they'd been models for and other kinds of talk more autonomous schools for within the school district. -- and they've they've they've been able to wind up teachers that don't come through the regular teacher and I would teacher education or school of education process. They get folks with a really strong background in academic contents so it's not all these sort of squishy methodology classes that you find in many public schools so there's been a lot of best practices that they have really been able to convey. And teach the states. About and then that was really their intent from the beginning for the parents of the students should go to the schools they're happy with the there and I think extraordinarily happy because and in addition to that there's a building a 25000 students there and wait lists across this is getting antsy to get you know what about the teachers at those.

We'll hang -- I've because we can't we can't replay the whole we don't enough time to replace the whole movement but we we need to get into the disaster that's taken place right now because. Massachusetts one of the things that strengthened the charter school movement here. Is that there's been such wonderful accountability in this been a good process for deciding which schools living which schools die and that's in jeopardy right now. Under Deval Patrick who has seen by the way -- nice chart out that. Demonstrates that I'd since he took it over that our effectiveness on Charter Schools the successor Charter Schools is going down can explain that.

Sure I mean really a big as I mentioned the ninety's are really sort of the gold and ages it reform Massachusetts now in the last three to five years we've been sort of in the aluminum age and one of the areas have been sort of negatively impacted is the high quality charter authorization process that Massachusetts have we perhaps for Gartner have been regarded as a national model. In Charter Schools and authorizing and what's happened in the last two authorization -- cycles in 2008 and 2009 we've had a lot of controversy in a real. Muddying the waters of this independent. Merit based approval by the border -- and what happened to consider you know you know a year or so ago. In Governor Patrick packed the board of education that a lot of his supporters many creative secretariat that really kind of boxed in the the commissioner of education and and the -- bed and so there's been a sort of put this is a nation of of the charter approval process which should be to certain independent merit based. Process so -- overseas dismantled structurally he's changed -- that how things get done to make it worse for good education. If there's no question that packing the board of education and -- the secretariat has been has really -- a -- and we Massachusetts has had a secretary of education before -- has been. They've been a body ball should twice in the past because it. It doesn't really work in a kind of muddies the water there at the autonomy and independence of the port of educational and.

As a result things are getting worse they absolutely are sure -- things are getting worse then what's the manifestation I I just have to reset that Saudi Nelson asking that question Jamie gas here from the pioneer institute NW RKO. And now and then the other and the person read re shedding his Todd. They know that.

So the reason which is did the loss of independence of the -- bed his impacted. First and foremost the charter approvals. But also there's been a lot of muddying the waters on the high academic standards the Governor Patrick originally was talking about. Educating the whole child surround and having a one. -- graduation -- like his big -- I don't I don't get what's the whole childhood what's that code for you know it's it's good something devious and just struck it behind at 401 -- less academic less data driven less measurable so it doesn't hold the entire system as accountable. And he certainly has backed off of that but then it's morphed into this 21 century skills approach which use that's right or evil language I know it what does that mean 21 century skeletal rather than having kids our focus -- and the core of you know math and science and history in English the the basic building blocks on which education. Further education is based. It's needs more than sort of squishy your sort of harder defines skills so it was a little.

We get this straight to survive in the 21 century it's important for children to know less this is the governor's position. Edit that says stated position -- early noted that that certainly does sort of implicit message and why are Democrats for kids knowing last -- it would -- I assume because the teachers unions want to know last and that's what Democrats want. But why do unions want to tell -- so they don't have to teach as much yet because -- video would be the the state standards on which MCAS in teacher testing are based on academic it's all right -- task innocent have a test then you can judge the teacher by the performance of the kids for so subtle way to get rid of the test. Is to make the U for the stuff being taught so amorphous right that you can't even test right you'd -- sort of subverted from.

Within -- Jamie if you talk about squishy versus the end that this stuff that we know of other hard math science language. Getting what's an example of the kind of stuff this this score sheet part of the curriculum. That if if the teachers union and Deval Patrick had their way they would have more. Can you release them.

Yeah I mean it -- one of the things we talk a lot about is use sort of international awareness in Vietnam they talk a little bit about media literacy and things of that which are all I think. What was the first thing awareness of sort of global rational I mean but I do think it's not clear is that if you know you have a kid in the elementary grades or even high school who doesn't know the fundamentals of American history can't. I mean how can you be globally. You know -- an annoying Arturo country.

That's exactly the point you devalue America right and celebrate. The diversity of the planet traditions have make having other other cultures like us that there's no -- force in that direction -- Curious about it they hold the thought we've got -- we've got to take a news break Jamie gas here from the pioneer and she will talk more coming up about. How Democrats are deliberately destroying education state of Massachusetts as well as around the country and ironically. Barack Obama is fighting them. And he's doing it timidly of course because he doesn't want to. Our early blow up the model of his party and and how it maintains power. But there's a big fight going on in state of Massachusetts over control of Charter Schools and whether they're going to continue to be excellent. As the charter school movement wants. Or if they're gonna be devalued. 680 WRKO.