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Thousands of Minnesota families shifting to charter schools.
Cygnus Academy in Anoka, North Lakes Academy in Forest Lake, High School for
Recording Arts in St. Paul, KIPP in Minneapolis, and Harbor City in Duluth are
part of a fascinating little noticed trend in Minnesota public education. It's
true in suburban, rural and urban areas: Thousands of families are shifting
their youngsters from district to charter public school schools. In the last
decade, the number of students attending Minnesota's district public schools has
dropped by more than 50,000 students, while the number attending charter public
schools has increased by more than 23,000.
Ten years ago, 847,339
students attended Minnesota district public schools, k-12, while only 4915
students attended charter public schools. Last year, the charter enrollment had
climbed to 28,026, while district enrollment was 796,757.
These figures
are based on an analysis done by Center for School Change staff Sheena Thao and
Joanna Plotz of October 1 enrollment figures that public schools submit to the
Minnesota Department of Education.
Unquestionably, the vast majority of
students are still in district public schools.
However, there is a strong,
continuing trend over the last decade. Last year, there was a record increase of
more than 4,000 students attending Minnesota charter public schools. Meanwhile
district enrollment k-12 declined by more than 7,500 students.
Some people
have called me, and the Center for School Change, where I work, “charter
boosters.” I respectfully disagree
Many reports on our website
(www.centerforschoolchange.org) describe outstanding district or charter public
schools. I’m trying to promote better public education, and recognize that there
are terrific, average and mediocre district and charter public schools. We
should be learning more from the best public schools.
What’s to learn
from the best charter public schools? Why are so many families shifting
youngsters from district to charter? From surveys and interviews with parents
and students, I hear 4 major things:
• Small size – many families really
like a small school environment
• More individualized, personalized
program
• Special features of a particular charter – whether it is a
Montessori curriculum, project based, language immersion such as German or
Chinese, arts focus, etc.
• Great respect and collaboration between families
and faculty
Charter critics have made some good points. Some charter
educators have not made good use of their money. We need to clarify the
responsibilities of the Minnesota Department of Education and sponsors,
organizations that supervise these schools.
Charters enroll a much higher
percentage of low income, limited English speaking and minority students than do
regular district public schools. (Last year, 54% of Minnesota charter students
were from low income families, compared to 31% of district students; 215 of
charter students did not speak English at home, compared to 7% statewide, and
54% of Minnesota charter students were minority, compared to 23% statewide).
While some charters serving low income students have done a marvelous job of
improving achievement, others have not. So they, as well as district public
schools, need to learn more from the best.
Many families are looking
carefully at their educational options. And thanks to pioneering Minnesota laws
like open enrollment, Post Secondary Options and charters, Minnesota families
have more strong choices for their children’s education, or their children’s
education.
Joe Nathan, a former public school teacher and
administrator, directs the Center for School Change, Humphrey Institute,
University of Minnesota
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View a copy of CSC's analysis on enrollment and demographic trends in Minnesota charter and district public schools.
enrollmentdatafinal
Pioneer Press article about the report:
Minnesota/Charter schools see big jump.
Presence now greater in suburbs than core
cities
Article Last Updated: 06/19/2008 11:22:47 PM
CDT
Enrollment in Minnesota charter schools rose by more than 4,000 students in
2007-08, the largest annual increase since charters began in 1992.
And for the first time, there are more charter schools and charter students
in the suburbs than in either Minneapolis or St. Paul.
Those are among the findings in a report released Thursday by the Center for
School Change at the University of Minnesota.
Center director Joe Nathan said there are several reasons for charters'
rising popularity. "I think that a number of parents feel that smaller schools
are safer schools and their kids are getting more individualized attention," he
said. Also, "there's a very distinctive program in some of the charters that's
attracting people."
Charters are public, tuition-free schools that operate independently — and
often compete with — the traditional school districts in which they are located.
They are often smaller than district schools and offer a particular academic
focus — Chinese language immersion, for example, or performing arts.
Since 2001-02, enrollment in traditional district schools has declined in
Minnesota from 831,535 to 796,757. During the same years, charter school
enrollment increased from 10,162 to 28,026, the study found.
There were 27 charter schools in St. Paul in 2007-08 and 31 in Minneapolis.
For the first time, the number of charter schools in metro-area suburbs — 32 —
surpassed that of either core city. Total enrollment in these suburban charter schools was 7,791 students, the center calculated, more
than in either Minneapolis or St. Paul.
In Minneapolis and across the state, charter schools also enrolled a higher
percentage of low-income, English Language Learner and minority students than
traditional school districts, the study found. That was not the case in St.
Paul, in part because of the high number of suburban students attending St. Paul
charters, Nathan said.
Minnesota had 143 charter schools in 2007-08. Another dozen are expected to
open this fall. Nationwide, more than 1.2 million students attended 4,303
charter schools in 2007-08, according to the National Alliance for Public
Charter Schools.
Doug Belden can be reached at 651-228-5136.
On The Web
The charter school report can be found at centerforschoolchange.org.
Charter Growth
K-12 public school enrollment in Minnesota
2006-07 2007-08
Statewide
District 804,557 796,757
Charters 23,689 28,026
St. Paul
District 40,034 39,050
Charters 5,578 6,137
Minneapolis
District 36,337 34,314
Charters 6,460 7,755
Source: Center for School Change, University of Minnesota
Greater numbers enrolling in charter schools
NORMAN DRAPER, Star Tribune
At a time when overall
Minnesota school enrollment is declining, enrollment in charter schools
in the state soared by a record number last year, according to a study
released Thursday.
The study, conducted by the
Center for School Change at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey
Institute of Public Affairs, found that the number of students
attending charter schools rose by 4,337 during the 2007-08 school year.
That marks the biggest enrollment increase since 1991-92, when the
charter school option was first made available to Minnesota students
and parents.
Total enrollment for charter
schools stands at 28,206. That's almost three times the enrollment in
the 2001-02 school year. The total public school enrollment last year
in Minnesota was 796,757, a number that has been declining for several
years.
"We knew that many families
were selecting charters, but were surprised to learn that there was a
record increase last year," said Joe Nathan, one of the report's
authors, and a charter school booster.
The number of Minnesota
charter schools has increased from two in 1992-93 to 143 last year,
according to the study. Charter schools are public schools that are set
up with particular types of students or learning emphases in mind. They
are allowed more flexibility in how they operate than typical public
schools.
Nathan cited several reasons he thinks have fueled the spike in charter school enrollment.
"First, small size of the
schools," he said. "Secondly, safer schools. Third, distinctive
programs, whether they're language immersion ... the arts, things like
that. Fourth, there's a feeling of great respect from teachers to
parents and from teachers to students."
The study also found that more
than half of the students in Minnesota's charter schools are racial
minorities. More than half also are low-income students.
Norman Draper • 612-673-4547
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