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COLLECT TIPS FOR THE DELIVERY
MAN.
>>> WELL, NEW CONTROVERSY OVER
CHARTER SCHOOLS IN AMERICA.
THE PUBLICLY FUNDED BUT
INDEPENDENTLY RUN SCHOOLS THAT
ARE NOT UNIONIZED.
THEY'VE WORKED WELL IN PLACES
LIKE CHICAGO AND NEW YORK CITY,
REDUCING THE DROPOUT RATE AND
INCREASING THE LEARNING IN MATH
AND READING.
NOW NEW YORK MAYOR BILL de
BLASIO IS LOOKING TO CURVE THEIR
GROWTH, AXING THREE PLANNED
CHARTER SCHOOLS.
JOINING US NOW TO DEBATE, LESLIE
MARSHALL AND BOB BOWDEN.
BOB, WHY IS THIS AN OUTRAGE IN
YOUR MIND THAT MAYOR de BLASIO
IS GOING TO STRIP KIDS FROM
GOING TO CHARTER SCHOOLS?
>> WELL, THE NEW YORK CITY
CHARTERS HAVE PERFORMED EVEN
BETTER THAN THE CHARTERS
NATIONALLY.
THE RECENT STUDY FROM STANFORD
UNIVERSITY SHOWED THAT
TIONWIDE CHARTERS OUTPERFORMED
FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN BOYS, FOR
EXAMPLE.
THOSE IN CHARTERS GET A
EQUIVALENT OF 31 ADDITIONAL DAYS
OF MATH INSTRUCTION TIME EVERY
YEAR THEY'RE IN A CHARTER VERSUS
A DISTRICT SCHOOL.
IN NEW YORK CITY, THE CHARTERS
HAVE DONE EVEN BETTER.
THEN EVEN AMONG THAT GROUP, THE
SUCCESS ACADEMY CHARTERS RUN BY
THE FORMER NEW YORK CITY
COUNCILWOMAN, THAT'S THE GROUP
THAT MAYOR de BLASIO SAYS HE
WON'T LET EXPAND EVEN THOUGH
THIS EXPANSION HAD ALREADY BEEN
APPROVED BY MAYOR BLOOMBERG.
THIS IS BASICALLY A CANCELLATION
OF THE PREVIOUSLY APPROVED
EXPANSION.
SO THERE'S JUST ABSOLUTELY NO
JUSTIFICATION FOR IT.
PARENTS LINE UP AROUND THE
BLOCKS FOR THESE SCHOOLS.
AND FOR MAYOR de BLASIO SO SAY,
LISTEN, PAENTS, WE DON'T CARE
IF YOU WANT THIS SCHOOL.
WE DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE LEANING
UP OVERNIGHT FOR THIS SCHOOL.
WE'RE GOING TO NOT LET YOU HAVE
IT.
>> LESLIE, IT COMES DOWN TO ONE
WORD.
UNIONS.
>> I DON'T THINK SO.
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T BACK de
BLASIO.
THEY BACKED THOVP SON, WHO WAS
NOT THE MAYOR.
HONESTLY, I DON'T FEEL THIS IS
ABOUT UNIONS.
OBVIOUSLY, EVERYTHING A
POLITICIAN DOES IS POLITICAL TO
A DEGREE.
I THINK THIS IS ABOUT IMPROVING
THE PUBLIC EDUCATION SCHOOL
DISTRICT IN NEW YORK CITY, WHICH
NEEDS TO BE DONE IN EVERY SCHOOL
SYSTEM.
>> BUT THEY ARE UP PROVING IT
WITH CHARTER SCHOOLS.
>> BUT THE CHARTER SCHOOLS DO
NOT TAKE CARE OF THE MAJORITY OF
CHILDREN.
>> THEY'D LIKE TO BE THERE.
LESLIE, SORRY TO CUT YOU OFF,
BUT THEY'D LIKE TO BE THERE.
WHY ARE SO MANY PARENTS LINING
UP TO GET IN?
DID YOU WATCH "WAITING FOR
SUPERMAN"?
IT WAS PAINFUL TO SEE ALL THESE
FAMILIES WHO ARE DESPERATE THAT
THEIR LOTTERY BALL IS GOING TO
BE CALLED OUT AND THAT THEY'RE
GOING TO GET INTO THIS SCHOOL.
BOB?
>> YEAH, THERE'S NO QUESTION
ABOUT IT.
THE PARENTS ARE LINING UP, LIKE
I SAID, FOR THESE SCHOOLS.
YOU KNOW, MAYOR de BLASIO IS ON
SHAKY GROUND.
IT'S TRUE THAT ONLY 5% OR SO OF
NEW YORK CITY KIDS ARE IN
CHARTER SCHOOLS.
THAT'S BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T LET
CHARTERS GROW.
THEY'RE ACTUALLY STOPPING GROWTH
OF CHARTERS BECAUSE THEY DON'T
WANT THE COMPETITION.
CHARTERS SPEND LESS PER STUDENT
THAN TRADITIONAL DISTRICT
SCHOOLS AND ARE DOING BETTER.
>> AND THEY BASE THE TEACHERS ON
MERIT.
LESLIE, IS IT NOT CRIMINAL TO
TAKE AWAY A PARENT'S CHOICE,
ESPECIALLY AN UNDERPRIVILEGED
FAMILY'S CHOICE?
>> I DON'T THINK THAT PARENTS'
CHOICES SHOULD BE TAKEN AWAY.
AS A PARENT OF A 5 AND
6-YEAR-OLD CHILD MYSELF.
MY PROBLEM IS WHEN YOU'RE TAKING
CLASSROOMS AWAY FROM CHILDREN
WHO ARE IN THE INNER CITY, 90%
OF NEW YORK CITY'S CHILDREN ARE
ON FOOD PROGRAMS.
THEY TEST LOWER FOR THE PAST
FIVE YEARS.
THEY CONTINUE TO DO SO.
SO OBVIOUSLY UNDER MAYOR
BLOOMBERG, THE PUBLIC SCHOOL
SYSTEM DIDN'T THRIVE.
ARE WE SUPPOSED TO TURN EVERY
CITY, NEW YORK, CHICAGO, LOS
ANGELES, INTO A 100% CHARTER
SCHOOL SYSTEM?
>> WE COVER THIS EVERY DAY ON
THE ED REFORM MINUTE PODCAST.
I'M TELLING YOU, WHEN YOU SAY
YES, CERTAINLY THE SCHOOLS IN
URBAN AREAS ARE UNDERPERFORMING,
BUT GENERALLY THE CHARTERS ARE
DOING BETTER.
THERE'S A PARTICULAR PHRASE.
WHEN YOU TAKE AWAY THE
CLASSROOMS.
WHO IS THE YOU IN THAT SENTENCE?
IN OTHER WORDS, INDIVIDUAL
PARENTS ARE MAKING THEIR OWN
INDIVIDUAL DECISIONS.
NO ONE IS ORDERING ANY FAMILY
OUT OF A TRADITIONAL DISTRICT
SCHOOL.
>> IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT
MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL IS IN FAVOR
OF THE CHARTER SCHOOLS IN
CHICAGO.
BY THE WAY, 36% OF THE KIDS IN
CHARTER SCHOOLS IN CHICAGO GO ON
TO COLLEGE COMPARED TO ONLY 11%
IN THE REGULAR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
I GOT TO WRAP IT THERE.