It's no surprise Arizona is one of the leading states in the country when it comes to the number of students in charter schools.
Since the charter school movement began here more than 15 years ago, Arizona has consistently been a leader. According to a report out Wednesday by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Arizona is No. 4 this school year in opening new charter schools (35 total), behind California (100), Florida (76) and Wisconsin (40).
Arizona also saw 10,500 additional students enter charter schools, a jump to more than 135,000 charter school students. There are 524 charter schools now in operation in the state.
But there's another area Arizona is taking a lead in: closing charter schools that are under performing or not meeting financial obligations.
According to the same study, Arizona was No. 2 in the country last year for closing charters (22), behind California (34).
A big reason Arizona had so many last year was because it was the first year schools were up for their 15-year contract renewal with the state, said Eileen Sigmund, president and CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association.
Charter schools are privately operated, but publicly funded. They contract with the state to provide free public education to students. In Arizona, their contracts come up for renewal after 15 years, and part of that process is demonstrating that they have improved students' academic achievement.
In 2007, the state Board for Charter Schools began working on a way to better measure charter schools' academic performance. That was put into place in 2010 when the first charter schools came up for renewals (schools also undergo a five-year and 10-year review, as well as a first-year examination).
The measurement looks at how schools are doing in improving student achievement, as well as test scores on the Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards.
"That is the statutory purpose of charter schools, to improvement achievement," Sigmund said. "It's not just to have a market of choice. It's to have good choice."
Not all of the 22 schools that closed last year were non-renewed based on achievement, she said. Some may had financial issues. Some may have surrendered their charter as they faced inevitable revocation.
It's not a "one and done" situation when a charter school gets into trouble, she said. Schools may get a chance to make improvements, and sometimes that's where the association steps in.
"We're providing coaching and technical assistance," she said. "We tell them the hammer is coming down."
The national report points out that more than 2 million students are attending charter schools across the country - 200,000 more than last year. And some 400,000 students are on waiting lists to get into a charter school.
More than 500 new public charter schools opened their doors in the 2011-12 school year across the country, according to the study. This year marks the largest single-year increase ever recorded in terms of the number of additional students attending charters.
• Contact writer: (480) 898-6549 or mreese@evtrib.com
Michelle Reese, East Valley Tribune
downtownresident posted at 7:19 am on Sat, Dec 10, 2011.
I wouldn't call AZ a leader in education, at all. Oh, never mind, that's not the topic.
We lead the nation in number of students who's parents can afford to send their kids to cash cow charter schools.
Arizona is failing their children by siphoning much needed funds from public schools and diverting it to private schools.
It's a Mormon thing.
I'll bet the reporter is Mormon, too.
samkat posted at 6:39 pm on Thu, Dec 8, 2011.
rational: I happen to agree with bob. Prove that Arizona holds its charter schools accountable for teacher certification. Prove that they are held to the same standards as public schools. Prove that they have financial accountability. Prove that the so called non taxable tuition organizations have financial accountability.
PS: Bob and I do not plan to move. We just want our tax money accounted for and to see public schools not neglected in order to provide quasi religious school funding.
x1134x posted at 10:53 am on Thu, Dec 8, 2011.
Yes, because "rational human" absolutely KNOWS what EVERYONE ELSE feels.[wink]
Rational Human posted at 9:39 am on Thu, Dec 8, 2011.
Perhaps bitterbob should find a new home state. The rest of us like it here.
soricobob posted at 5:15 am on Thu, Dec 8, 2011.
Another area in which Arizona is near the top: number of students escaping the public school for racial, academic, or "police" reasons. Also, Arizona is a leader in charter school founders employing unqualified relatives, and number of founders being supported by the proceeds from charter schools.