Who won the strike in Chicago?

Charter schools.

While the nation watched, story after story noted the obvious – that while 350,000 traditional public school students were displaced for more than a week, thousands of charter school students were in class. Even better, news coverage gave the general public a better idea of what charter schools really are.

“We were certainly disappointed that the strike happened, because I think it was a failure of adults to serve kids,” Stacy McAuliffe, chief operating officer of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, said in the redefinED podcast below. But, she added, "I think it caused a lot of people to say, ‘Wait a minute. What are charter schools? A lot of people were asking, 'So wait, are they public schools?’ And it gave us a chance to really remind people yes, they’re public schools. They’re open enrollment. There’s no tuition. There’s no academic requirement. And yet, they’re open right now.”

Charter schools weren’t part of contract negotiations, but their rapid expansion in Chicago has stoked tensions between the district and teachers union. Charter enrollment has risen from about 20,000 in 2007 to 53,000 now. And the district is pushing for another 60 charters – up from 119 campuses now - in the next five years.

Still, the goal is quality, not quantity, McAuliffe said. She offered two definitions of success.

“One is, there’s a high quality seat for a child to sit in today at a charter school. And I think the charter movement is nimble and growing and can provide that in short order relative to a big bureaucracy like CPS,” she said. “The other is, that new models and innovations are being piloted and tried and demonstrated that then push the broader education sector to change.”

“Some of the policy issues that were on the table during the strike are things that the Chicago charter movement has been at the forefront of innovation on for a decade,” she continued. “So longer day, longer year, principal autonomy in hiring and firing, and teacher evaluations – all of those things are things that charters have been doing quietly for 10 or 15 years. And that have now broadened to be a part of the public education debate.”

McAuliffe also offered her take on why teachers, too, are increasingly choosing alternatives like charters instead of traditional public schools: “If you’re a teacher that wants to work in a place that’s a little more entrepreneurial, a little more where you have some room to grow in terms of, ‘I have an idea, I’d like to see it play out,’ charter schools are more fertile ground.”

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick made the most extensive remarks about K-12 education on the DNC stage last night. He didn't explicitly mention Race to the Top, expansion of charter schools or a push for better teacher evaluation systems (all Obama administration priorities) but he did reference more accountability, higher teaching standards and longer school days. His suggestion of lower student achievement during Gov. Romney's tenure  was wrong; Massachusetts is and has been an academic leader. In a nod to teachers unions, he described making ed reform in Massachusetts "with labor at the table." Here's the kicker to his speech, which highlighted change at a high-poverty school in Boston:

What's at stake is real. The Orchard Gardens Elementary School in Boston was in trouble. Its record was poor, its spirit was broken, and its reputation was a wreck. No matter how bad things were in other urban schools in the city, people would say, "At least we're not Orchard Gardens." Today, thanks to a host of new tools, many enacted with the help of the Obama administration, Orchard Gardens is turning itself around. Teaching standards and accountabilities are higher. The school day is longer and filled with experiential learning, art, exercise and music.

The head of pediatric psychology from a local hospital comes to consult with faculty and parents on the toughest personal situations in students' home lives. Attendance is up, thanks to a mentoring initiative. In less than a year, Orchard Gardens went from one of the worst schools in the district to one of the best in the state. The whole school community is engaged and proud.

So am I. At the end of my visit a year and a half ago, the first grade—led by a veteran teacher—gathered to recite Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech. When I started to applaud, the teacher said, "not yet." Then she began to ask those six- and seven-year-olds questions: "What does 'creed' mean?" "What does 'nullification' mean?" "Where is Stone Mountain?" And as the hands shot up, I realized that she had taught the children not just to memorize that speech but to understand it. (more…)