An advocacy group for charter school parents in Florida is warning its parents about widely circulating myths regarding Common Core State Standards. While the recent newsletter from Parents for Charter Schools doesn’t endorse Common Core, it does attempt to dispel what it says are a few misleading statements – and in tone, its language echoes that of Common Core supporters.

“There is so much misinformation out there and we all know that knowledge is power,” says the newsletter, which is posted on the group’s facebook page. “Some of the more common myths are that we will bring the standards down to the lowest common denominator. This (is) just not true. The standards will be brought up (to) the higher standards.”

The charter school parent group’s statements are another intriguing tidbit in the battle over Common Core, which has fuzzed up traditional lines between education factions. It also further complicates, at least in Florida, a side skirmish over whether the standards will help or hurt school choice.

As we’ve reported before, many private schools in Florida are embracing Common Core as part of a parental engagement effort led by Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog. Many Catholic schools in Florida and beyond have also warmed to the standards, though with a faith-based twist and with more reticence recently as political heat over the standards has risen. (more…)

The headline said it with absolute authority: “Parents, teachers say 'no' to Tony Bennett.” The story relayed criticism from the usual quarters about Florida’s new education commissioner. It quoted a local parents group that’s stomping mad about standardized testing . It quoted a teachers union president who doesn’t like vouchers and charter schools.

More open-minded folks were quoted too. But the headline still reflected a widespread perception - that the masses of Florida parents and teachers don’t like where Florida schools are headed. It’s a conclusion drilled in deep by media coverage even as test scores and grad rates improve and growing numbers of parents embrace new learning options. And it’s why my holiday wish is for those parents, in whatever choice sector they’re in, to become better organized.

I won’t dispute that teachers unions and the usual parent groups represent a lot of people, or that in some cases they have legitimate concerns. But they don’t speak for all, and their views aren’t shared by all. The number of charter school students now tops 200,000 and there are more than 50,000 in private schools via tax credit scholarships – just to name two of Florida’s many alternatives. (The scholarship program is administered by Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog.) Those numbers are rising by double-digit percentages every year. They’re also contributing to a bigger picture in which 1.3 million students in Florida, about 40 percent of the total, are now enrolled in schools other than their assigned neighborhood school.

I‘m sure those parents have diverse views about education reform and school choice. And I suspect those views are often not in synch with those who get all the ink. Becoming better organized is the best way to get ink, too. Along the way, it will nudge news coverage into better reflecting the more complex – and frankly, from a news perspective – more fascinating realities on the ground.

That’s starting to happen. Parents for Charter Schools, for example, a group with roots in the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools, is becoming more visible. But there’s so far to go. I’d like to see parents who benefit from school choice options quickly respond to negative stories, whether it’s to dispel misinformation or to admit something’s amiss. I’d love it if reporters felt compelled to call them for a quote about say, the new ed commissioner, or that new bill that could impact their kids.

I know that’s easier said than done. Low-income parents, in particular, don’t have the time or resources or political connections to mobilize like their more affluent counterparts across town.  But the reality is this: if choice parents don’t find ways to speak up, parent groups with conflicting agendas will speak for them.  Just like they’ve done for years.

by Lynn Norman-Teck

Norman-Teck

Many factors have helped nourish and grow the charter school movement. There are forward-thinking legislators, both Democrats and Republicans, who worked together to approve legislation that supported parental choice. There are governors who made quality education a priority of their administrations. There are thousands of teachers and principals who used tried and tested curriculum, and also developed innovative educational programs to meet the specific needs of their students. There are charter school founders who collaborated with mayors, teachers, parents and community leaders to implement educational programs to reach communities and students most in need. And of course, there are school district leaders and board members who provided the necessary feedback and support to create quality choice programs.

However, when you put all these components together, and look at the trajectory of growth and incredible successes charter schools have experienced, there is no denying that parents are the movement’s most powerful, driving force.

Absolutely nothing has impacted charter schools more than parents. Without their buy-in and continued support, charter schools simply would not exist. The early charter school adopters were living in suburban areas where districts hadn’t built schools to meet residential sprawl. These parents sought schools close to home and helped forge the way for some of the state’s first and most accomplished charter schools. Urban families unable to afford private schools, yet searching for quality options, also jumped on board. Soon, charter schools were the hot topic of conversation at playgrounds and on the sidelines of little league games. This quiet, thoughtful revolution happened in every corner of the state. Parents shared information about their experiences, and their testaments fueled others to give charter schools a try.

Ileana Melian helped start Doral Academy, a charter elementary school in Miami, in 1998. She recalls with great affection the overwhelming support parents gave her school.  “Our opening was a collaborative effort,” she said.  “Parents rallied behind us at community meetings and were there the first day we opened to help in the cafeteria, direct traffic and support staff in a thousand ways. They were very much a part of our birth and our continued success.” Those parents later demanded, and got, a charter middle and high school.

Empowered by choice and the desire to find the best education option for their child, in little over a decade parental support grew charter schools from five in 1997 to more than 500 today. In 2010, parents took a bold step forward in their support of charter schools. (more…)