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 Preshow #1 Franklin |
Web Pointer |
| Hello/Intro Franklin |
Goodnight |
| Franklin Charter |
key: Education |
| Charter School tag |
Tonight 10:00 |
| Charter School Disc |
WEB PROMO |
| Discussion Pt 2 |
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| Preshow #1 Franklin |
Web Pointer |
| Hello/Intro Franklin |
Goodnight |
| Franklin Charter |
key: Education |
| Charter School tag |
Tonight 10:00 |
| Charter School Disc |
WEB PROMO |
| Discussion Pt 2 |
| Preshow #1 Franklin Return to index of stories... |
Now on New Hampshire Outlook: It's been a long-time coming.but, Charter Schools have arrived in New Hampshire. |
| Hello/Intro Franklin Return to index of stories... |
Hello. I'm Beth Carroll. Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook. When it comes to school choice -- most parents believe they should have the right to say "where" their child can get best educated. In the past, school options have been limited in NH --but, that's changing. The "growing" charter school movement has made its way to the granite state. Publicly financed, charter schools offer innovative educational opportunities. Most serve a niche -- such as an emphasis on technology -- or the arts, others cater to disadvantaged students or the especially gifted. In general, "Parents" are the driving force behind charter schools --and such is the case in NH -- and, the town of Franklin |
| Franklin Charter Return to index of stories... |
In the industrial town of Franklin -in the state's Lakes region - a startling 50 percent of high school students-- drop out. Alarmed by those statistics - parents mobilized. This fall, Franklin became home to the state's first charter school. The Franklin Career Academy opened its doors in late August. 40 students grades 7-to-12 have signed up - and, there's already a waiting list. A number of Parents who used to home-school their kids are now opting for the local charter school. Principal Carol Sideras says Franklin Career Academy's 15:1 Student to teacher ratio is only part of its selling point. Beth: YOU'VE BEEN IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM AND NOW YOU'RE HEAD HONCHO HERE AT FCA HOW DO THEY DIFFER? Sideras: well, in some ways we have an advantage with our size. We're able to do a very customized program and the way we offer things more extensively than we can do with our staffing through online learning, partnerships with local colleges, so we have a Lot more flexibility. We also have tremendous parental involvement. Parents are actually required to sign contracts agreeing to at least 2 hours of school participation each month. Beth: WHAT ABOUT EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.THAT YOU HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Pat Grimm/ Parent: They can do basketball, football any sports, We are a public school. We are part of the Franklin Public school system. At the school's opening ceremonies -students and teachers were hailed as pioneers in the world of education. Fred Bramante Chair, NH Board of Education: It is well known that lots of kids don't do well in traditional classroom environment. And, I'm gonna tell you two of them -right here, the Governor, who was told in high school that he wasn't college material. Am, I right Governor. when I was in high school. There were 191 kids I finished 182, I'd beaten 9 kids. Somehow we ended up doing okay and I have high expectations for the kids going to this school. YOU'RE NOW INTO YOUR FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL, ANYONE HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. Wes Grimm/Student: It was great. Beth: The Governor, a strong charter school proponent, says the state board of education is charged with keeping tabs on whether the school lives up to its charter. Governor Craig Benson: Not only are children going to be graded, and get report cards, but the school will be graded -- enhanced accountability -- point in time. Beth: IS EVERYONE COMFORTABLE WITH HOW THE SCHOOL WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE - WITH HOW THEY TEACH KIDS AND HOW THEY'LL MEASURE PERFORMANCE? Pat: I think the accountability will be higher than I think how it is in the public school right now. Jennie: I have to agree with that. I have to feel comfortable or else we wouldn't have enrolled our daughter. Located in the former St Mary's School in downtown Franklin - the academy is close to all the facilities it hopes to partner with. It was start-up money that got the school off the ground. Whether it stays open will depend in large part, on strong community support. Nicholas Donohue/Commissioner of Education: We won a grant from the Federal Government. They'll have to raise money to sustain themselves - it will continue to be big financial challenge. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO NAYSAYERS WON'T BE HERE NEXT YeAR. You never know what future will bring but you have to make a start. So, if this environment is the best fit for a student.we;'d love for them to come, if another school is best for a student they should go there. Cindy /Parent: It's good to have choices.we need more educational choces and this is definetly a great starting place. DO YOU THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEGINNING FOR A LOT OF OTHER PARENTS EXPLORING OTHER OPTIONS? I hope so, I hope so. Carol Sideras: We tell our students and parents, things are going to be changing. this is new, this is your school. We need to do things to get the results we're looking for. If it's not effective we'll make adjustments. IF THERE WAS ONE THING YOU WANTED PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS, BECAUSE YOU'RE THE FIRST, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Student: You're excited when you wake up in the morning and you want to go to school. You don't just want to stay in bed. Proponents say Charter Schools are the WAVE of the future. Carol Sideras: It's only the beginning. I've talked with a lot of other charter school folks, and they've got some great things coming up. As for being the state's FIRST charter school. It's nice to be number one, we like being first out of the gate absolutely. |
| Charter School tag Return to index of stories... |
. Franklin Career Academy is one of a handful of charter schools opening in the state. The "North Country Alternative Charter School" in Littleton and Lancaster is now open as is the Seacoast Charter School. The Laurent Clerc Academy.serving deaf and hearing impaired students is also -- slated to open in 2004. "The Great Bay eLearning Charter School" in Exeter and the Cocheo Arts & Technology charter school in Dover are expected to open in 2005. Here to talk about charter schools in NH are: Bill Grimm, one of the founders of the Franklin Career Academy and a member of the charter school's Board of Trustees. Mark Joyce, the executive director of the New Hampshire School Administrators Association, and Nicholas Donahue, Commissioner of the NH Department of Education. Q Cmsr DONAHUE: NH has been late in jumping on the Charter School bandwagon. Why was there such RESISTANCE to the notion? Charter Schools: called the Research & Development ARM of Public Education -- How so?? |
| Charter School Disc Return to index of stories... |
NICHOLAS DONOHUE: YOU KNOW WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RESEARCH ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS, IT'S VERY INTERESTING WHY PEOPLE TELL YOU THAT THEY WANT THEM. MOST PEOPLE THINK IT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE DISSATISFIED WITH THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND PLENTY OF FOLKS WHO WISH THINGS COULD BE BETTER. BUT ANOTHER BIG REASON IS BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE FELT SEPARATED FROM GOVERNANCE, THAT IT WAS HARD TO GET ACCESS TO THE LINES OF AUTHORITY RELATED TO SCHOOLS. IN NEW HAMPSHIRE THAT'S NOT TRUE. IF YOU WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE LIFE AND BUSINESS OF YOUR SCHOOL AND YOUR COMMUNITY THERE ARE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO DO SO. I DON'T THINK RESISTANCE IS THE RIGHT WORD. WE'VE BEEN TAKING OUR OWN PATH, WE'RE FAMOUS FOR THAT. THE REASONS BEHIND PEOPLE'S PLEASURE AND DISPLEASURE WITH ANYTHING ARE COMPLICATED. SCHOOLING IS AN ISSUE THAT HAS A LOT OF DIFFERENT FACETS TO IT IN TERMS OF WHAT PEOPLE WANT AND HOW THEY THINK THEY CAN GET THEM. AN IMPORTANT STATISTIC IS WHEN YOU POLL PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR SCHOOLS IN GENERAL, PEOPLE ARE SATISFIED WITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS. MORE SATISFIED THAN MANY OF US WOULD LIKE THEM TO BE. BUT THEY ARE MORE OR LESS SATISFIED. NOT JUST ABOUT SATISFACTION OR WANTING CHANGE, SOMETIMES IT'S MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT. Beth: BILL GRIMM, YOU'RE A PARENT AND FOUNDER OF THE FRANKLIN CAREER ACADEMY WHAT WAS IT THAT MOTIVATED YOU TO WANT YOUR CHILDREN TO GO TO A CHARTER SCHOOL RATHER THAN THE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL? I'LL TELL YOU REALLY IN THE BEGINNING WE REALLY DIDN'T THINK MUCH ABOUT OUR SON GOING TO THE CHARTER SCHOOL. WHAT WE SAW WAS A SITUATION, THIS IS REALLY GOES TO THE PROBLEM THAT'S NATIONAL, JUST TOO MANY KIDS FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS, THE NATIONAL NUMBERS WOULD INDICATE THAT YOU HAVE ABOUT 68% OF KIDS GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL, IT'S BETTER IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, I THINK. BUT THERE'S JUST TOO MANY KIDS IN OUR AREA AND MANY OTHER AREAS WE THOUGHT WERE FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS. OUR CHARTER TO HELP AT-RISK KIDS BUT IT'S AN AT-RISK MEANS SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO EVERYBODY. WHAT IT REALLY IS AT-RISK IS NOT REACHING THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. I THINK THE PARENTS REALLY LIKE THE CLOSE KNIT ASPECT OF BEING PART OF THIS SCHOOL. WE HAVE ABOUT 80% COMING RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE ABOUT 80% PARTICIPATION WITH PARENTS IN THE PARENT-TEACHER ORGANIZATION. THEY VERY MUCH INTERESTED BE, THEY COME, WERE TRYING TO SET UP DIFFERENT THINGS WHERE THEY CAN BECOME INVOLVED IN THE SCHOOL THEY LIKE THAT A LOT, THEY LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SEE HOW THEIR KIDS ARE DOING. AND I THINK PROBABLY THE BIGGEST OR ONE OF THE SINGLE BIGGEST THINGS IS THERE'S -- WE NEED TO HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR ALL OF OUR KIDS. HIGH EXPECTATIONS AND HIGH STANDARDS AND WE NEED SOME ACCOUNTABILITY. WE'RE SORT OF KNOW THAT'S GOING TO BE THE CASE WE'RE GOING TO BE JUDGED VERY CLOSELY HOW BEE DO ACCOUNTABLE -- OUR ACCOUNTABILITY. BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO A SCHOOL REPORT CARD AND WE'RE GOING TO BE VERY UP FRONT WHAT WHAT WE'RE DOING IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN TEST SCORES, GOING TO BE ASSESSMENTS EVERY YEAR. OUR ACADEMIC REALLY FOCUS IS MOVING THE KIDS AHEAD IN A DEMONSTRATABLE WAY IN CORE SUBJECTS EVERY YEAR FOR ALL THE KIDS. Beth: WE TALKED ABOUT THE HIGH DROP OUT RATE. I KNOW THAT WAS A BONE OF CONTENTION IN FRANKLIN. WAS THAT ALSO A MOTIVATING FACTOR FOR YOU? THE SAME THING, TOO MANY KIDS DROPPING OUT THEY DID MENTION 50%. THAT WAS REALLY NOT AN ACCURATE NUMBER. IT WAS ONLY 50% IF YOU TOOK AN ABERRATIONAL HERE THEN PROJECTED IT OUT. IT'S RUNNING CLEARLY HIGHER THAN WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE COMMUNITY. THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY KIDS FOR VARIOUS REASONS THAT ARE STOPPING PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOL. WE WANT TO REALLY TRY TO HELP ALL OF THEM. WITH HIGH EXPECTATIONS. BUT A LOT OF HELP. BETH: MARK JOYCE, LET'S GET YOU IN HERE FROM SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS VIEWPOINT. WHERE DOES YOUR ASSOCIATION STAND WHEN IT COMES TO CHARTER SCHOOLS? WE SUPPORTED THE IDEAS OF CHARTER SCHOOLS AS LONG AS THEY ARE SUPPLEMENTAL TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND AREN'T STRUCTURED IN A WAY THAT TAKES AWAY RESOURCES FROM THE PUBLIC SCHOOL. OUR CONCERNS REGARDING THIS CURRENT LAW ARE DIFFERENT THAN OUR SUPPORT FOR THE PRE-EXISTING LAW. AND I WOULD PICK UP ON SOMETHING THAT THE COMMISSIONER SAID. I THINK THAT NEW HAMPSHIRE CITIZENS WERE WISE IN THEIR DELIBERATION AND CAREFUL ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TO VOTE APPROVAL OF A CHARTER SCHOOL. I THINK THE REASON THAT ONLY ONE COMMUNITY DID, COOPERATIVE UP IN THE TAMWORTH AREA WAS BECAUSE, CITIZENS EXERCISING THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE SAW IT AS A COSTLY ENTERPRISE, THAT WAS DUPLICATING SOME OF THE SERVICES WITHIN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND WE HAVE CHARTER SCHOOLS NOW, BECAUSE OF THE NEW PILOT PROGRAM THAT REALLY ELIMINATES LOCAL VOTERS' DECISION MAKING. AND IT WILL RESULT IN INCREASING COSTS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS. BETH: DO YOU SEE THAT AS A GOOD OR BAD THING? A BAD THING BECAUSE IT'S INCONSISTENT WITH HOW WE PAY FOR IT. ULTIMATELY THE LOCAL VOTER WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. WITHOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO EVER VOTE ON IT, THAT'S OUR CONCERN REGARDING THE PILOT PROGRAM. THE GREATEST AND CLEAREST ILLUSTRATION OF THAT ARE THE NEEDS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS WHO WILL CHOOSE TO GO TO A CHARTER SCHOOL, AND YET THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING THAT SERVICE EVEN IF IT DUPLICATES A PROGRAM WITHIN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL. |
| Discussion Pt 2 Return to index of stories... |
Beth: GILL GRIMM YOU'VE DONE A LOT OF HOMEWORK ON THIS ISSUE WHAT ABOUT MARK'S POINT? WELL, I WOULD DISAGREE IN THE SENSE THAT IT SHOULDN'T, I DON'T BELIEVE IT WILL, THE STATE SPONSORED CHARTER SCHOOL SHOULDN'T TAKE ANY -- Beth: ISN'T THAT ALWAYS THE ARGUMENT THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT -- MARK IS CORRECT IN THE WAY THAT HE PRESENTED IT THAT ISSUE HAS BEEN ALL OVER THE PLACE AND ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES. THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY STATE SPONSORED SCHOOL WAS APPROVED, I THINK, THE LAW WAS CHANGED FROM WHAT IT WAS TWO YEARS AGO AND OTHER PEOPLE TRIED TO CHANGE IT, BUT THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANY TAKING OF ANY LOCAL RESOURCES AWAY, AS A MATTER OF FACT WE HAVE GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WE'RE EXPECTING TO -- PARTICULARLY SOME OF OUR READING SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAMS WE'LL SHARE WITH THE OTHER SCHOOL. WE'RE A PUBLIC SCHOOL, TOO. WE'RE ALL IN THIS FOR THE SAME PURPOSE FOR THE KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY. Beth: COMMISSIONER DONOHUE, WE KEEP ON HEARING THAT WORD, ACCOUNTABILITY. HOW WILL CHARTER SCHOOLS BE EVALUATED? THEY HAVE A CHARTER THAT GETS LOOKED AT EVERY FIVE YEARS, STATE BOARD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT. AND THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT WE'RE HOPING TO WORK INTO THE FABRIC OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY. I THINK ANOTHER PIECE OF ACCOUNTABILITY THAT'S IN PLACE IS YOU GET TO CHOOSE TO GO THERE. THAT IS THE MARKETPLACE THAT WILL CERTAINLY HAVE STRONG AFFECT ON SOME OF THE SCHOOLS. BUT THERE ARE SOME STEPS WE COULD TAKE TO REALLY KEEP THE PLAYING FIELD LEVEL. WE HAVE AN EMERGING ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE THAT HAS SOME SIGNIFICANT PIECES TO IT AND RELATES NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND. AND WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO TO LINE UP THOSE PIECES TOGETHER, BECAUSE I THINK AS BILL AND MARK HAVE BOTH SAID, WHATEVER YOU THINK ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS, THE POINT IS TO MOVE LEARNING AHEAD FOR ALL STUDENTS. WE SUPPORTED CHARTER SCHOOLS IN THE DEPARTMENT I HAVE AS LONG AS THEY SERVE TO PROMOTE AND INCREASE THE QUALITY ACROSS THE BOARD. IF YOU GOT CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT ARE WORKING THEY OUGHT TO KEEP GOING THEY OUGHT TO BE MODELS FOR HOW THINGS GET DONE IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND IF THEY'RE NOT WORKING, THEN THEY -- WE SHOULDN'T PERSIST WITH THEM. Beth: ARE THEY FREE FROM STATE RULES AND REGULATIONS? THEY SHARE SOME OF THE REGULAR REGULATIONS BUT NOT ALL OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY PROVISIONS FOR ALL OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Beth: DOES THAT WORRY YOU, MARK JOYCE. IT DOES. Beth: WHY? BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE IN APPLES AND ORANGES COMPARISON HERE BUT PEOPLE ARE LED TO BELIEVE WE CAN COMPARE THE SUCCESS OF ANY CHARTER, WHATEVER THAT MIGHT BE, TO THAT OF A COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. YET IN ONE CASE THE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL FOLLOWS ALL THE RULES AND REGULATIONS ACCEPTS ALL COMERS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO LIVE THERE. WITHOUT EXCEPTION. MEET ALL NEEDS EVERY DAY. YET THEY'RE BEING COMPARED TO A SYSTEM THAT IS MORE SELECTIVE AND DOESN'T HAVE TO FOLLOW ALL THE RULES. NOW THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE SHOULDN'T HAVE CHARTERS BECAUSE I WOULD BUILD ON BILL'S POINT AND SAY IF THE STATE IS INTERESTED IN PILOT CHARTERS TO TRY A NOVEL IDEA, THEY OUGHT TO PAY TOTALLY FROM STATE RESOURCES. NOT DIP INTO LOCAL RESOURCE AT ALL, IF THAT'S THE ISSUE, THEN WE HAVE OUR EXPERIMENTAL STRUCTURE. BUT WHAT WE HAVE NOW IS A FAILURE BY THE STATE TO ADDRESS THE REAL COST ISSUE. THEY SAY IT'S NEUTRAL BY COST WHEN IN FACT IT IS NOT. Beth: COMMISSIONER DONOHUE? DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT ASSESSMENT? I THINK WE STILL HAVE THINGS TO WORK OUT ABOUT THE FUNDING, YES. I THINK THAT WHEN WE LOOKED AROUND THE COUNTRY THERE ARE STATES THAT ARE MUCH MORE GENEROUS WITH THEIR CONTRIBUTION TOWARD CHARTER SCHOOLS. THERE ARE SOME THAT PAY ON TOP OF WHATEVER THAL LOCATION IS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I THINK IN NEW HAMPSHIRE WE HAVE A COMPROMISE AROUND THAT, WHERE THE MONEY DOES FOLLOW, CAN FOLLOW THE CHILD FROM THE PUBLIC SCHOOL THAT CAN BE DELAYED FOR SOME YEARS TO RELIEVE SOME OF THE PRESSURE ON SENDING SCHOOL. STILL THE AMOUNT THAT'S GIVEN PER PUPIL FOR CHARTER SCHOOL IS SMALL. IT'S NOT EVEN HALF OF WHAT OUR PER PUPIL COSTS ARE. I'M GLAD WE MADE A START, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS WE NEED TO DO AND THE THING WE NEED TO AVOID IS WHAT SOME OF THE RESEARCH AROUND CHOICE WILL PROVIDE, I READ A STUDY ABOUT CHOICE AND CHARTERS CAME OUT ABOUT A YEAR AGO THAT SAID THAT, PARENTS' SATISFACTION HAD INCREASED. THAT SOUNDED GOOD. STUDENT LEARNING HADN'T BUDGED, PUT TOGETHER THOSE TWO FINDINGS ARE TRAGIC AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED. IF WE HAVE CUSTOMERS, OUR PARENTS WHO ARE MORE -- WHO ARE HAPPIER BUT FOR WHOM THE RESULTS FOR THEIR STUDENT IS NOT IMPROVED THAT REALLY TROUBLES ME. I LIKE THE IDEA THAT WE GET MORE TRANSPARENT, I LIKE THE IDEA THAT WE LINE UP ACCOUNTABILITY PROVISIONS, I LIKE THE IDEA THAT WE PROMOTE AND TRY TO BUILD AS MUCH VARIETY AS POSSIBLE IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM AND IF CHARTERS ARE ONE WAY TO DO IT. THEN WE SHOULD KEEP DOING IT. I WAS GOING TO SAY ACCOUNTABILITY, I AGREE WITH BOTH NICK AND MARK. IT'S A HUGE THING. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, WE REALLY HAVEN'T HAD IT. I'M PARTICULARLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION THAT'S UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT, THERE ARE INTERESTING THINGS GOING ON NOW IN NEW HAMPSHIRE WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCOUNTABILITY. BUT THERE'S A STUDY THAT WAS CONDUCTED IN BOTH '98 AND 2000 THAT HAD NEW HAMPSHIRE AS ONE OF THE SIX LOWEST STATES IN THE UNITED STATES WITH RESPECT TO ACCOUNTABILITY OF THEIR PROGRAM. WE DID NONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU NEEDED TO DO, STATE REPORT CARDS OR SCHOOL REPORT CARDS AND WITH THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND COMING IN TO PLAY NOW WHERE SCHOOLS ARE REALLY BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE. I'M VERY IMPRESSED AND EXCITED ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN NEW HAMPSHIRE EDUCATION, PUBLIC EDUCATION. CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE JUST A PARTED OF IT. THIS IS NOT THE END ALL, BE ALL. THIS IS FOR -- MARK SAID SELECT, IT'S REALLY NOT SELECT, OUR SCHOOL IS AN OPEN OPEN ENROLLMENT SCHOOL. WE BUILT A PROGRAM THAT WE THOUGHT WOULD HELP OUR COMMUNITY KIDS THE MOST. AND WE GOT PRETTY GOOD RECEPTION AND GOT A WAITING LIST. Beth: MARK JOYCE YOU WANT TO JUMP IN. ACCOUNTABILITY, I THINK BILL IS REFERRING TO A STUDY THAT DOWNGRADED NEW HAMPSHIRE'S ACCOUNTABILITY BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAVE MANDATORY TAKEOVER OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT FAILED TO MEET CERTAIN STANDARDS. WHICH IN NEW HAMPSHIRE ISN'T THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE. SO MUCH AUTHORITY IS LOCALLY CONTROLLED. THAT'S ONE OF THE CATEGORIES. Beth: WE HEARD THE STORY ABOUT 60 CHARTER SCHOOLS CLOSING IN CALIFORNIA HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS LEFT SCRAMBLING TO FIND OTHER SCHOOLS. YOU ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL CLOSING OF SCHOOLS THAT DON'T LIVE UP TO THEIR CHARTER. AS A PARENT DOES THAT WORRY YOU THAT THIS COULD BE A FAILED EXPERIMENT? I THINK THAT THE SITUATION YOU MENTIONED OF THE 60 CHARTER SCHOOLS IN CALIFORNIA THAT WAS IN IN THE NEW YORK TIMES I THINK A COUPLE DAYS AGO I DID READ THAT ARTICLE. THAT LOOKED TO BE A FINANCING ISSUE WITH ALL OF THE SCHOOLS, I WOULD SAY THAT PERSON TO ASK IS COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON THERE. AS FAR THE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL HERE. IT'S A NEW EXPERIMENT, IT'S THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE IRONED OUT. WE HAD KIDS THAT WERE ALL EXCITED COULDN'T WAIT FOR SCHOOLS TO OPEN. THEY COME EARLY, THEY DO PROJECTS. I'VE TOLD OUR STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS, JUST LOOK SEE WHAT IS GOING ON HERE. THE KEY IS IF THEY'RE STILL FEELING THAT WAY A YEAR FROM NOW WE GOT SOMETHING HERE. MY DAUGHTERS ARE IN PUBLIC SCHOOL. BUT IF I WERE A PARENT IN CHARTER SCHOOL AND CHARTER SCHOOL CLOSED, IT WOULD BE DISORIENTING? OF COURSE. BUT PARENTS IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS SHOULD HAVE THINGS TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT ALSO. WHAT ARE WE DOING AS A STATE TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE REALLY IS A SUPPORTED FUNDING FOR THE COMMUNITIES THAT NEED IT. WHAT ARE WE DOING IN OUR EXISTING PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE QUALIFIED STAFF WE NEED GIVEN THE FACT THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE GOING TO RETIRE AT AN ALARMING RATE IN YEARS TO COME. WHAT ARE WE DOING TO RETHINK OUR HIGH SCHOOLS AS THE ECONOMY DIVERSIFIES AND NEEDS ARE DIFFERENT. IF WE'RE LOOKING FOR THINGS TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THERE'S PLENTY OF OTHER STUFF THAT PEOPLE COULD PUT THEIR FOCUS ON IN PUBLIC EDUCATION. I AGREE WITH NICK, JUST QUESTION OF GOING BACK TO SCHOOL FROM WHERE THEY CAME. I THINK A GREAT POINT, I AGREE WITH BILL WE NEED TO MAKE DECISION BASED ON FACT NOT ON HYPERBOLE, NOT ON POLITICAL OPINION. AND WHAT ARE THE FACTS ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS? WELL WE KNOW THAT SOME HAD FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY AND ALSO FROM THE BEGINNING DATA ABOUT ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS IN CHARTER SCHOOLS THEY DID NOT ACHIEVE BETTER THAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHILDREN. Beth: THERE ARE NEW STUDIES THAT SUGGEST OTHERWISE. THERE ARE POLITICALLY FUNDED STUDIES, IF YOU LOOK NOT AT THE AFT BUT ONE DONE BY SOCIOLOGISTS AT TEACHERS COLLEGE, YOU'LL FIND AN INDEPENDENT LOOK AT THAT. AND THERE'S NO DEMONSTRATED EVIDENCE THAT THERE'S BEEN A GROUP WIDE ACHIEVEMENT. THERE ARE SOME, NOT ALL ARE BAD, BUT YET WHEN ONE LISTENS TO PROPONENTS OF CHARTERS WE SEE IT AS A MAGIC ELIXIR THAT IT WILL CURE, THE REAL ISSUE IS LET'S LOOK AT THE DATA, LOOK AT THE RESEARCH, LET'S FIND OUT WHAT WORKS AND HAVE IT APPLY TO ALL CHILDREN EVERYWHERE. Beth: THERE WAS A RECENT HARVARD STUDY ON CHARTER SCHOOLS. IT FOUND THAT FOURTH GRADERS PERFORMED BETTER THAN THEIR PUBLIC SCHOOL COUNTERPARTS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE BACKGROUND THAT HAVE PARTICULAR RESEARCHER, HE WORKS FOR THE CHOICE ORGANIZATION, THE STUDY WAS FUNDED THERE. ONE OF THE -- I WAS GOING TO SAY, I THINK MARK MAKES A GOOD POINT WHICH IS IF THE PURPOSE IS TO IMPROVE OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OVERALL THEN CHARTERS CAN BE PART OF THAT FORMULA TO PROVOKE US AND CHALLENGE US AND LEAD US TO NO NEW INVENTIONS THAT'S GOOD. WE HAVE EAGERNESS TO FIND SIMPLE SOLUTIONS IN OUR SOCIETY SOMETIMES. IF PEOPLE THINK THAT THIS IS THE END YOU WILL, BE ALL THEY'RE GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED, BILL SAID THAT. IF PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY'RE EVIL BECAUSE THEY DISPLACED THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WE NEED MORE VARIETY WE GOT TO TRY NEW THINGS. REALLY DOES DEFY THE VERY SIMPLE BLANKET STATEMENT OF SUCCESSFUL OR NOT. I THINK WE DO NEED TO GET RESEARCH BASED, LOOK AT IT AND WE NEED TO NOT HOLD OUR BREATH HOPING THAT THIS IS THE FINAL ANSWER FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS BECAUSE IT'S NOT GOING TO MEET ALL OF OUR PROBLEMS FOR ALL OF OUR KIDS. WE GOT WORK TO DO THERE'S OTHER THINGS WE NEED TO DO. Beth: WHAT ABOUT THE NOTION THAT CHARTER SCHOOLS WILL ACTUALLY, THE COMPETITION WILL BE GOOD AND WILL HELP MORE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS BECOME BETTER? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL WOULD AGREE TO? I WOULD DISAGREE WITH THAT. I WOULD REFER YOU TO A STUDY BY UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE PROFESSOR TODD DEMITCHELL AND CASEY COBB FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT. THEY DID AN ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH AVAILABLE AND FOUND THAT THAT MYTH WAS NOT SUPPORTED BY RESEARCH AT ALL. CLEARLY WHAT WAS SUPPORTED HOWEVER WAS A POINT COMMISSIONER DONOHUE MADE THAT PARENTS' OWNERSHIP AND SUPPORT OF A SCHOOL WHERE THEY HAVE CHOICE DOES INCREASE WITH THAT OPTION. Beth: THAT APPARENTLY IS TRUE WITH THE FRANKLIN CAREER ACADEMY. THAT'S CLEARLY TRUE. I'D SAY ONE OF THE BIG PROBLEMS IS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TESTING DATA AND WE'RE COMPARING CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT GENERALLY SPEAKING HAVE DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF KIDS THAT ARE PROBABLY BELOW GRADE LEVEL AND NEED MORE HELP. WHEN WE'RE MEASURING THEM AT ONE POINT IN TIME, OUR WHOLE PROGRAM IS BASED I THINK THE STATE IS GOING IN THIS DIRECTION, TOO, WHICH I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT. WE'RE GOING TO TEST EACH CHILD THREE TIMES A YEAR, IN THE BEGINNING, THE MIDDLE AND THE END. SO WE WILL KNOW WHAT PROGRESS EACH ONE OF OUR STUDENTS HAS MADE IN EACH ONE OF THE CORE SUBJECTS EVERY YEAR. THAT'S HOW YOU MEASURE PROGRESS AND THAT'S HOW YOU REALLY DETERMINE WHAT'S GOING ON. I'M NOT SUGGESTING THIS, BUT SOME OF THESE STUDIES ARE DISINGENUOUS, STUDIES ON BOTH SIDES ARE DEVELOPED TO COME TO A CONCLUSION OR TO PRESENT A CONCLUSION, I AGREE WITH BOTH THESE GUYS -- Beth: I'M GOING TO CUT YOU OFF BECAUSE WE'RE OUT OF TIME. AND WE WILL OF COURSE BE TRACKING THE PROGRESS OF CHARTER SCHOOLS BECAUSE WE KNOW IT'S A NEW EXPERIMENT. COMMISSIONER DONOHUE, MARK JOYCE, BILL GRIMM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING IN AND SHARING YOUR PERSPECTIVE. WE APPRECIATE IT. |
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For information and links to our guests and interviews, connect with us on-line at nhptv.org. Join our online discussion and tell us what's on your mind. You can also find streaming video of all our broadcasts. |
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That is it for this edition of our program. Thanks for watching. I'm Beth Carroll. We'll see you next time. |
| key: Education Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 12/15/04 22:00 HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 26:46 minutes Now on New Hampshire Outlook: It's been a long-time coming but, Charter Schools have arrived in New Hampshire. Hello. I'm Beth Carroll. Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook. When it comes to school choice most parents believe they should have the right to say where their child can get best educated. In the past, school options have been limited in NH but, that's changing. The growing charter school movement has made its way to the granite state. Publicly financed, charter schools offer innovative educational opportunities. Most serve a niche such as an emphasis on technology or the arts, others cater to disadvantaged students or the especially gifted. In general, Parents are the driving force behind charter schools and such is the case in NH and, the town of Franklin where the state's first charter school experiment is underway. Franklin Career Academy is one of a handful of charter schools opening in the state. The "North Country Alternative Charter School" in Littleton and Lancaster is now open as is the Seacoast Charter School. The Laurent Clerc Academy, serving deaf and hearing impaired students is also slated to open in 2004. "The Great Bay eLearning Charter School" in Exeter and the Cocheo Arts & Technology charter school in Dover are expected to open in 2005. Here to talk about charter schools in NH are: Bill Grimm, one of the founders of the Franklin Career Academy and a member of the charter school's Board of Trustees. Mark Joyce, the executive director of the New Hampshire School Administrators Association, and Nicholas Donahue, Commissioner of the NH Department of Education. PRODUCER/REPORTER: NAMES OF PARTICIPANTS: Cindy Clarenbach\Parent of charter school student, Jennie Byman\Parent of Charter School Student , Aislinne Byman\Franklin Career Academy Studen, Carol Sideras \Principal, Franklin Career Academy, Pat Grimm\Parent of charter school student, Fred Bramante\Chairman, NH Board of Education, Wes Grimm\Franklin Career Academy Student, Storm St Jacques\Franklin Career Academy Student, Franklin Career Academy\Franklin\August 24, 2004, Gov. Craig Benson\ New Hampshire, Nicholas C. Donohue\NH Commissioner of Education, Michelle St. Jacques\Parent of charter schools student, Bill Grimm\Franklin Career Academy, Bill Grimm\Chairman, Board of Trustees, Mark Joyce \Exec. Dir., School Administrators Association, Nicholas C. Donohue\ NH Education Commissioner |
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Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook: Join us tonight at 10:00 only on New Hampshire Public Television. |
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Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook. . Tonight at 10pm on New Hampshire Public Television. |