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DEL.ICIO.USVictory for Charter School Parents
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Parents at Neighborhood Charter School in Atlanta’s Grant Park have scored a huge victory in gaining approval for a charter middle school. Southeast Atlanta Charter Middle School will open in the fall with 60 sixth-graders, with plans to add a grade a year and eventually serve 200 kids.
This is Champagne-worthy news for the families involved, many of whom have toiled for the past six years to make Neighborhood Charter School a reality. Before some of their kids were out of diapers, parents started formulating a plan for what they wanted in a school. Before they could open, they had to get support from Atlanta Public Schools at a time when the administration was wary of charter schools. When Georgia’s current charter school law was passed in 1998, many educators didn’t even know what they were.
Charter schools are public schools that operate outside the control of the local board, yet they are held accountable to the school district and the state through terms spelled out in a charter. Many wannabe charter school organizers haven’t been able to convince the school board they’re up to the task of running a school.
Statewide, several charter schools haven’t survived and others are on life support. Many charter advocates blame funding, saying the local boards deny them their share. Neighborhood Charter School is a bright spot. It’s a diverse school controlled by a board made up of parents, and it posts high test scores. This in spite of a fire that destroyed the school building in 2003.
Yet the very parents who worked so hard to get Neighborhood Charter off the ground faced a crisis when their kids graduated from fifth grade. Where would they go? Nearby King Middle School has abysmal test scores. Inman Middle School in Virginia-Highland has a good reputation, but slots for students from outside the attendance zone are limited. And private schools, well, tuition hovers at around $10,000 a year, admission is competitive and many parents want their children to have a public-school experience.
Now, students will move on to Southeast Atlanta Charter Middle. For now, the school will hold classes in the old Slaton Elementary building, which is under renovation.
The charter middle school, like Neighborhood Charter, will feature a hands-on, project-oriented curriculum focused on ecology and conservation, with a partnership with nearby Zoo Atlanta. The middle school also will require each student to participate in at least 10 hours of community service each year.
(Note: Education Reporter Paul Donsky, who has covered Neighborhood Charter School since 2001, helped me put together this entry…)
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