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][quote=Anonymous]

. . .

At high demand public charter schools, there is a clear understanding that [b]the only families that have a real voice are the wealthy families[/b].  They can afford the $2,000-$10,000 donations that quietly roll in.  The wealthy families are the ones that can afford the high priced auxiliary programs.  The wealthy families are the ones that are not impacted by school being closed on odd days in the middle of the week, or consistently with week long breaks in instruction.

The donations and social leverage of these families ensure that their children are chosen for extra perks, special activities, and instruction.  It also puts [b]added pressure on the public teachers at the school to give their children high marks on subjective assessment scales. [/b] The children of working parents are relegated to being tracked in "meeting the standard" or "below standard", as it compares to their wealthy peers, who many times supplement instruction with private tutoring.

At a private school, the wealthy charter school children would be one of many with parents of status and influence.  The majority of children would have access to private tutoring.  The majority of children may summer in exotic locations and have elevated points of reference.  Competition to shine would be high; they would actually have to work hard to stand out.

Alternatively, at the high demand public charter school, children of the wealthy and almost wealthy easily stand out in stark contrast to their lower class peers.

[b]Wealthy parents are recognized [/b]as "pioneers", "friends of public education","school reformers", and "parent organization leaders". But many are really attention seekers using public education  to save money and to generate their own personal relevance.  Listservs are abundant at these schools coupled with a clear understanding that a large portion of the school's parents may not have regular internet or technology access.

. . .

Be advised that the [b]poorer kids will be routed to the inexperienced teacher[/b] a lot quicker than the rich ones will.

High performing charter schools are under little to no scrutiny by outsiders; they ride off the testing performance of the rich kids as if the school is producing/instructing at a higher level.  In turn, they are [b]not required to ensure academic assistance pathways for students[/b], unless the student is one to two grades below level or on FARMS.

Low income parent (45-65K), be wary.  There is no guarantee that just because your child attends the high demand school that they are truly being taught by highly qualified and capable educators on a daily basis.   At times, you will find that [b]your concerns are responded to with arrogance and be tinged with an undercurrent of apathy.[/b][u]  You will definitely hear the phrases, "We are a school of choice." and "Well if you don't like what we are doing, go to your neighborhood school."

Do not make the mistake of believing that you just won the golden ticket because your child's name was chosen in the charter school lottery for a high demand charter school.  A good school is one where your child can feel physically, socially, and emotionally safe to open themselves up for learning.  A great school is one that can provide the environment of a good school, while simultaneously providing well thought out pathways that push every student to their highest potential, regardless of income.
[/quote]

OP, I had to go back and pull out the resonant points of your original, because your subsequent post was a little confusing.  It's probably not fair to paint all high demand charters with the same brush - and perhaps not fair to name the school - but what you've depicted here pulled up an old gut feeling I've had about one charter in particular.

I think it's nearly impossible for some people to fathom that wealthier people are treated differently, but even kids can detect it.  We're a higher SES family, but I see the assumptions that are made because we're AA.  It's subtle, and certainly not consistent with everyone we encounter, but I didn't want to take a chance that my kid would have a different status in a school based on those assumptions.

I've had friends express shock that we wouldn't bother applying at this school, but I just could not ignore that gut feeling.  I expect you'll get a lot more abuse on this thread, so I thank you for providing your perspective.[/quote]

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