I have a kid, but she is not school-aged yet. I also have a PhD in science education (from Tufts) and as part of that spent some time doing research in both public and charter schools (mostly middle schools). My experience is that charter schools are all over the map in terms of quality. The good ones are a combination of strong thematic elements and a public/private sponsorship. The bad ones are the purely public ones that do nothing more than try to replicate a public education, but without the oversight. It's a complex issue that should not be judged as white and black.
Based on what's in this article alone, I think it sounds like a good idea. It will serve almost 500 students who have been identified as needing special help (immigrants and first generation) and provide a learning environment that is not available to public schools (native language classrooms).
As to whether Somerville should love $5 million to educate those 500 students, I can't say. I haven't looked into it in detail. But, generally, immigrant students cost a *lot* more to educate than native students because they have a higher special education rate.
Re: Here's a litte more info for balanced reporting. :-)
I have a kid, but she is not school-aged yet. I also have a PhD in science education (from Tufts) and as part of that spent some time doing research in both public and charter schools (mostly middle schools). My experience is that charter schools are all over the map in terms of quality. The good ones are a combination of strong thematic elements and a public/private sponsorship. The bad ones are the purely public ones that do nothing more than try to replicate a public education, but without the oversight. It's a complex issue that should not be judged as white and black.
Based on what's in this article alone, I think it sounds like a good idea. It will serve almost 500 students who have been identified as needing special help (immigrants and first generation) and provide a learning environment that is not available to public schools (native language classrooms).
As to whether Somerville should love $5 million to educate those 500 students, I can't say. I haven't looked into it in detail. But, generally, immigrant students cost a *lot* more to educate than native students because they have a higher special education rate.