Kentucky Tonight – Lots of Charter School Myths #6

– Myth: Charter schools fail minorities, especially in Massachusetts

On the January 18, 2010 KET Kentucky Tonight show on charter schools, Jefferson County Public Schools superintendent Sheldon Berman said in his early comments:

“The data on charter schools is that it’s, it’s truly a failed reform, particularly for African-American students, particularly for low income students.”

Berman said he was familiar with the charter schools in Massachusetts where he served before coming to Kentucky, implying his opinion of failure was based at least in part on that experience.

Well, the people who made this two-part video in early 2008 about Boston charter schools would clearly disagree with Dr. Berman.

As you listen to Part 1, count up all the different schools mentioned. Berman claimed only about two out of 50 charter schools in Massachusetts really perform well. It sounds to me like there are more than two good performers just in Boston.

Here’s Part 1:



Did you catch the statistic of a 100% rate of going on to college? Did you notice how many minority parents were interviewed? It doesn’t sound like they think charter schools are failing their kids.

Now, here’s Part 2:



As a parent, do these public schools sound like a place where your son or daughter could learn?

As one commentator mentions towards the end of Part 2, some educators in regular public schools do feel threatened by charters. After all, charter schools shake up the status quo by showing that kids who don't succeed in regular public schools can be successfully educated. Sadly, that sort of fear seems to be present in Louisville, and it stands in the way of real progress in education for our kids.