Bryant: Keep middle-class kids in charter schools
In education reform circles, you hear a lot about the 60/40 rule. For a school to succeed, it's best if the percentage of economically disadvantaged students is kept lower than 40.
In regions that seek this balance, like Wake County, North Carolina, poorer children see enormous educational benefits while middle- and upper-class students continue to do well. An achievement gap between social classes remains, but it is minor compared to the canyon we see in Monroe County.
Only one public elementary school within Rochester city limits meets the 60/40 standard. If Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the state Senate and the state Department of Education get their way, the number may fall to zero.
NYSED has strongly recommended that Genesee Community Charter School change its lottery to give preference to students who receive free and reduced-price lunch. Currently, 30 percent of the school's students are economically disadvantaged, and entry into the school has been determined by blind lottery. The state wants the school to more closely mirror the demographics of the Rochester School District, which is about 90 percent economically disadvantaged.
This goal is insane. State leaders know that extremely high concentrations of poverty make it much more difficult for a school and its students to succeed. In fact, the state is currently offering the district millions of dollars to help reduce socioeconomic segregation.
Up to $3.75 million in state grants will be available to build city school programs that would be attractive to middle-class families. Programs like Genesee Community Charter School, for example.
While the state spends millions to make urban school districts more socio-economically diverse, it wants to force charter schools to be more segregated. Budget proposals from Cuomo and the Senate both contain a proposal to require the state's charter schools to give lottery preference to students who are eligible to receive free and reduced-price lunch. This would effectively turn charter schools into poverty islands.
If charter schools were roundly superior educational institutions, it might make sense to reserve them for the most disadvantaged students. That isn't the case.
Rochester has seen several charter elementary schools that perform as poorly as City School District schools, or worse. Rare charter schools have high concentrations of poverty and still excel on standardized tests. Usually, the "separate but equal" model means separate and inferior schools for economically disadvantaged students.
Genesee Community Charter School launched years ago with the goal of reflecting the demographics of Monroe County. Its founders believed that structuring a school with a blend of socio-economic groups would benefit all.
It is undeniable that the experiment has been a success. GCCS was one of 287 public schools in the United States to be declared a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education last year. In 2014, 38 percent of the economically disadvantaged students at GCCS passed the state reading exams, compared with 4 percent of the economically disadvantaged students in the Rochester School District.
For comparison, 58 percent of GCCS' non-economically disadvantaged kids passed, and 18 percent of the district's non-economically disadvantaged kids passed. It is also worth noting that in Pittsford, 39 percent of the economically disadvantaged kids passed the 2014 reading test, compared with 66 percent of the non-economically disadvantaged kids.
These statistics support the theory that economically disadvantaged students do better in majority middle-class school environments. Genesee Community Charter School's charter is up for renewal this year. It is beyond crazy that School Leader Lisa Wing has to be concerned that the school's socio-economic diversity could work against it.
The school has increased its percentage of economically disadvantaged students over the years by trying to get more economically disadvantaged families to enter the lottery. This is appropriate. Squeezing out all the spots for middle-class kids shouldn't be the goal. This week, Wing sent a letter to parents saying that the state charter school office has told GCCS that their charter could be in jeopardy unless they switch their lottery to favor economically disadvantaged students.
No such edict has been given to local suburban districts, which would have more space and resources to accommodate economically disadvantaged children than the tiny charter school at the Rochester Museum & Science Center.
The governor and state Senate have put forth no proposal to require suburban schools with consistently high test scores to admit more economically disadvantaged students.
GCCS sees more than 150 applicants for 10 to 15 open kindergarten spots each year, so there is obviously a demand for good schools with good socio-economic diversity. There are many parents who believe that students are better prepared for success in life when they learn and work with diverse peers.
Rather than trying to make GCCS mirror the segregated demographics of the City School District, the state should focus on creating more schools that look like GCCS.
I'll give the final word to former state Education Commissioner John King. He made this statement when he announced the millions of dollars in new state grants to promote socio-economic integration:
"Diverse schools create important educational opportunities. They offer all children the opportunity to develop the kind of critical-thinking skills that come from the perspectives expressed by students from different backgrounds … The world is a diverse place; our students shouldn't be isolated because they come from struggling neighborhoods."