10.29.2009 1:38 pm
St. Louis charter schools gain market share, study finds
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis charter schools have the seventh-largest public school market share in the country, according to a report released today by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
One-quarter of the public school students in St. Louis went to charter schools last year, the report said, boosting St. Louis from its 10th-place finish two years ago.
The report, Top Ten Charter Communities by Market Share, said charter school market share is growing all over the country and that charters now enroll more than one in five public school students in 14 communities - including St. Louis and Kansas City.
The “Top 10″ largest market share public charter school communities are:
- New Orleans, LA (57%)
- Washington, D.C. (36%)
- Detroit, MI (32%)
- Kansas City, MO (29%)
- Dayton, OH (27%)
- Youngstown, OH (26%)
- St. Louis, MO (25%)
- Flint, MI (24%)
- Gary, IN (23%)
- Phoenix Union High School District, AZ (22%)
Minneapolis, MN (22%).
There is no secret as to why St. Louis counts among the top ten cities in this regard. It is the design and intent of Mayor Francis Slay and Robin Wahby. When his slate ran for the Board of Education, that was probably the behind-the-scenes agenda. At least that is my humble opinion.
OR it’s based on population of the city. And since we’re a mid-sized city with bad under enrolled schools our charter schools (by default) are gaining market share…
What a shame people are so afraid of SLPS that they are now sending their kids to schools that are worse, just because they aren’t SLPS. It’s not helping the kids, that’s for sure.
I imagine it’s partly because St. Louis and KC are the only places charters can exist in Missouri. So if anyone wants to create a charter school in the entire state they have to be in one of those cities - and of course it’s a good bet parents are looking for another place to educate their kids other than city public schools.
Apples to apples comparison of children in charter schools vs. public schools across the country show that Charter schools help close achievement gaps in poor areas. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703574604574499592392782438.html
Charter school haters will compare test scores to test scores without measuring gains vs. gains (which is the only valid, controlled comparison), and rarely take into account that some Charters are geared toward the most at-risk kids.
The only thing that will keep me living in the city after my kids get to be school aged is the St. Louis Language Immersion school.
And quite honestly, if Charter schools are enrolling more kids, that means parents made a choice. They got the opportunity to make a decision about their child. That’s parental involvement: that thing everyone says is so vital.