Reply to Truth about being three coughs above FARMS at a high performing Charter School

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Reply to "Truth about being three coughs above FARMS at a high performing Charter School"

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[quote=Anonymous]OP here, thanks for the feedback and additional opinions. I probably could have been a bit more concise with everything.  I just don't think that there are honest conversations about the day to day experience that many middle income families have at high demand charter schools. And I wish someone would have written something like this when I was starting out.

As a new parent several years ago, I've seen the charter school movement in DC go from unique pockets of primarily small, independent schools to an industry of branding and replication that many schools are today. While the remnants and impression of a diverse landscape are there, it is fading fast when one truly unpacks what happens in the classroom.

The pressure to expand, grow, and replicate many times means that the public tuition paid for middle income and lower income (above FARMS) kids are used as leverage to fund the expansion programs.  Parents are pressured to keep quiet and go with the flow, especially if you want your kid's residency verification paperwork to not magically disappear when it’s time to re-apply or renew admission for the next fall.

The public tuition that is paid for each student does not vary based on income; the access and delivery of an equal education should reflect this equality.  Many performance ratings of "high demand" schools ride on the academic achievement of children that pay for supplementation outside of the school, while the school itself provides a low quality, lackluster education program to a specific segment of their students within the school.  And they can afford to do better.

The operative word in this conversation is "Public".  I agree that many of the same issues expressed in this post are experienced at private institutions.  However, if the activity and support of wealthier families at public schools grossly benefits the children of wealthier families yet marginally helps poorer families, this creates a disparate impact on the middle income and lower income families that depend on the school's existence.  
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