Happy Friday,
I normally don’t make a big deal out of federal grants, but the $10.4 million outlay aimed at improving collaboration between charter and public schools has potential if done the right way.
The grant aims to share best practices, better evaluate the performance of charter schools and strengthen the process of authorizing charters.
Charter schools aim to spur innovation in all schools and received strong support from the business community in the early going. Enthusiasm has waned more recently as student performance remains a murky area.
The charter roster includes number of high-performing, well-capitalized schools others muddle along and a few in dire straits.
Last month, the Delaware Academy of Public Safety and Security fell victim to a variety of woes that included a lack of students as the uncertainties piled up.
Strong charters overcame the formidable barrier of finding enough start-up funds. Strong leadership is also a factor. Others were permanently hobbled by start-up costs.
But whether the innovative approaches from successful schools have made its way into public school classrooms remains unclear.
Delaware public school districts have traditionally been slow to adopt best practices, with the most troubled often being the most reluctant. Other public districts have not been inclined to share their success stories.
Granted, the most troubled districts with a large number of students living in poverty have limited options and resources that are needed to break out of the slump.
Delaware public education also operates under an ancient state aid formula that largely offers a set amount of money per student, regardless of whether more help is needed in improving performance.
The federal grant needs to remain under the microscope, with the business community and others insisting that funds are spent wisely.
The money should not be used as an indirect subsidy to prop up marginal charter schools or simply bolster the resources of institutions that keep their successes under cover.
Have a great weekend. This newsletter returns on Monday. – Doug Rainey, publisher.
