Charter schools having a positive impact

By TERRY RYAN and EMMY L. PARTIN

SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR

Charter schools are the black sheep of Ohio public education — blamed for the financial woes of traditional urban districts, routinely attacked by teacher unions, and now under fire from the state attorney general. So, when evidence emerges that charters have actually helped districts, and, more important, benefited needy students, it is not surprising that this news goes largely unreported. But this is exactly what has happened when it comes to the rising graduation rates in urban districts, including Youngstown.

Consider the numbers.

Dropout recovery charter schools first opened in Ohio in the 1999-2000 school year to serve students aged 16 through 22 who have dropped out of high school or are at risk of dropping out. In 2005-06 there were 4,989 students enrolled in the state’s three biggest dropout recovery charter schools—ISUS, Life Skills Centers, and Mound Street Academies. When a student enrolls in one of these dropout recovery schools, that student is not considered a “dropout” in his/her home district.

City by city, enrollment in dropout recovery charter schools can be significant. In Youngstown, for example, 312 students attended Life Skills Center in 2005-06, a number equivalent to 20.53 percent of the district’s 10-12 grade enrollment. The previous school year, that school served 367 students, equivalent to 23.09 percent of the district’s 10-12 grade enrollment. (To put these numbers in perspective, the 2005-06 enrollment in Akron’s dropout recovery charter schools was equivalent to 14.52 percent of the district’s 10-12 grade population; in Cleveland it was 14.03 percent; in Dayton it reached 29.2 percent.)

It cannot be assumed that all of those students would have otherwise been enrolled in or dropped out of Youngstown City Schools. However, it is hard to deny that the district’s graduation rate benefited mightily from these students having an education choice besides quitting a Youngstown district school.

Increased enrollment

There are also trends between improved graduation rates and increased enrollment in dropout recovery charter schools. Enrollment in such schools in Youngstown increased from 74 in 2000-01 to 312 in 2005-06, just as the district’s graduation rate improved from 53.1 percent to 71.9 percent. From 2000-01 to 2004-05, Cleveland Municipal Schools’ graduation rate improved from 36.1 percent to 51.8 percent, just as enrollment in Cleveland dropout recovery charter schools jumped from 322 students to 1,889 students.

Smart school officials across the country know the benefits of education choices. Not surprisingly, a growing number of districts in Ohio and other states have welcomed dropout recovery schools, either as in-house programs or district-sponsored charters.

While many attack charters — and some charter schools have brought these attacks upon themselves — it is important to remember the positive impact of dropout recovery charters on young people who are at risk of quitting school altogether.

Dropout recovery charter schools take on the most at-risk students who have not been successful in Youngstown’s district schools. These students are prime candidates for dropping out and, thus, negatively impacting the district’s dropout and graduation rates. State and district officials should acknowledge the work and contribution of these schools and support and encourage the successful ones.

X Terry Ryan is vice president for Ohio programs and policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and Emmy L. Partin is a writer and researcher for the institute. The institute’s sister organization, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, supports charter schools and sponsors charters in Dayton and southwest Ohio.