k12reboot

Eva Moskowitz is the founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools.  In a column in today’s New York Post, she discusses why so many parents in New York City public schools express envy for the learning environments provided by the Success Academies, which are often co-located in previously under-used spaces in traditional public school campuses.  The superior environment and outcomes found in her organization’s public charter schools are not due to funding — their charter schools actually receive less funding per pupil than traditional public schools.  They do better because they are managed better, as Ms. Moscowitz explains, using multiple common examples of traditional public school bureaucracy and dysfunction.

A former public school parent and Chair of the New York City Council’s Education Committee, Ms. Moscowitz writes, “It’s painful, charge our critics, for the families that these schools serve  to see the contrast between their dreary classrooms and ours, which we spruce up  with cheery paint jobs, new carpets and extensive technology.

“Actually, it’s far worse than that: 88 percent of our students read  proficiently; fewer than a third do at these district schools. Our students also  get two hours more instruction per day, science daily and teachers who receive  far more professional development.

“So forget the cheery paint. Our students are getting an education that will  give them a fair shot at fulfilling the hopes and dreams of their parents — while most of those attending our co-located schools aren’t.”

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/charter_school_envy_0oh8SUU7Fv5y1CVeKCf0IK#ixzz21TeN1s93