Why does a four-year-old need 2 rec letters for Wissahickon Charter?

**annie** · 06-01-2012, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by The Count

I remember listening to the charlatans make their pitch and I all I could think was: "How is this legal? How is it that this is allowed to happen?"

Eastern just got renewed for five years even though it has a SPI that if it were a district school it would be considered for closure or charterization. The only SRC member with the balls to suggest that maybe they should just renew for a year and check back lives in California. Wheeee!

**billy ross** · 06-01-2012, 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by Dolemite

I agree 100% with this. But as for The Count's friends I interpreted the post as ICS being the only charter they trusted.

Many people see the world as black and white and don't get the subtleties inherent in the world. That's where the suburbs came from - many, many people want certainty and predictability. I try to make sure my kids understand the exception to the exception to the exception, so that they can always be able to get perspective and understand what's going on, but most people are more mentally lazy than that.

**billy ross** · 06-01-2012, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by annie

Eastern just got renewed for five years even though it has a SPI that if it were a district school it would be considered for closure or charterization. The only SRC member with the balls to suggest that maybe they should just renew for a year and check back lives in California. Wheeee!

How long has Eastern been around? I don't think they're been around long enough to even have a track record by which to judge them by.

**annie** · 06-01-2012, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by billy ross

How long has Eastern been around? I don't think they're been around long enough to even have a track record by which to judge them by.

3 years isn't enough time? Oh well, now they'll have 8.

**macdaire** · 06-01-2012, 06:16 PM

Jesus Billy, how do you survive in the real world?

**billy ross** · 06-01-2012, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by macdaire

Jesus Billy, how do you survive in the real world?

I try to keep my wife happy. I also try to keep the people who give me money happy. Do those two things and generally you do pretty well. I also try to keep my conscience clear, so I can sleep at night. That helps, too.

If you're referring to my mentally lazy quote, I am continually amazed at the sheer number of people who take the mentally easier but physically more difficult route in life, just because they don't feel like focusing their brainpower. Then they suffer through their slog and complain about how difficult things are and how the deck is stacked against them. I see it all of the time, and I always counsel my mentees/students to not be afraid of thinking things through so that they can get clarity and see where efficiencies can be found, instead of leaping to silly conclusions based upon incomplete information and incorrect assumptions, and thus go about things the hard way. Vision and perspective are both huge. To be more specific, there are more choices than either Independence Charter School or the Radnor public school system. I actually like both, but there are so very many options out there that I can't imagine concluding that I just had to have one out of those two. I am perfectly pleased with my kids' school, as are many others judging upon the tuition and the enrollment. However, I recognize that it is one in a universe of choices, very many of which I'd be comfortable with. Maybe I have more confidence in my kids than the Radnor people in this example do?

Originally Posted by annie

3 years isn't enough time? Oh well, now they'll have 8.

Germantown High has had very much more than 3 years, or even 8 years, to get its act together, and still it's holding Germantown back terribly. Yet I don't see you in such a rush to pull the plug on G-town High. I wonder why?

**Malloy** · 06-02-2012, 10:40 PM

Originally Posted by billy ross

I am perfectly pleased with my kids' school, as are many others judging upon the tuition and the enrollment. However, I recognize that it is one in a universe of choices, very many of which I'd be comfortable with. Maybe I have more confidence in my kids than the Radnor people in this example do?

Bro, you act like you would send your kids to Mifflin. I'm sure most would be 'perfectly pleased' with the school your kids attend - haha.

**Geno** · 06-03-2012, 09:48 AM

Every thread I have ever read on this message board about public education is a joke.

**annie** · 06-03-2012, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by billy ross

]Germantown High has had very much more than 3 years, or even 8 years, to get its act together, and still it's holding Germantown back terribly. Yet I don't see you in such a rush to pull the plug on G-town High. I wonder why?

Because the charter operators have indicated that they have no interest in taking over more high schools. Mastery has its hands full with Gratz and wants no more. Other providers aren't interested either. You've been told this before.

**Geno** · 06-03-2012, 02:25 PM

Jesus Christ, Ghandi and George Washington coud come back and take over Germantown High and the test scores would pretty much remain the same.

**MsChelle** · 06-08-2012, 09:29 PM

According to the Wissahickon CS's annual report, the student population is over 90% Black and 80% of children come from economically disadvantaged families.
Annual Reports and Enrollment Data. This is different from Green Woods CS, for which 176 of the 205 students are White and only 19% are economically disadvantaged. Whatever Wissahickon CS is doing, it's not so exclusive that it's a demographic outlier the way Green Woods is. But yes, Annie, I agree that letters of recommendation for 4 year olds are extreme. I think that a short letter from a preschool teacher should suffice.

**billy ross** · 06-08-2012, 11:38 PM

Which is the outlier? Which is more representative of the public school universe? Follow your thoughts through to their obvious conclusions. The USA isn't 81% economically disadvantaged. Nor is PA. One school is an outlier, and it isn't GWCS.

Originally Posted by MsChelle

According to the Wissahickon CS's annual report, the student population is over 90% Black and 80% of children come from economically disadvantaged families.
Annual Reports and Enrollment Data. This is different from Green Woods CS, for which 176 of the 205 students are White and only 19% are economically disadvantaged. Whatever Wissahickon CS is doing, it's not so exclusive that it's a demographic outlier the way Green Woods is. But yes, Annie, I agree that letters of recommendation for 4 year olds are extreme. I think that a short letter from a preschool teacher should suffice.

**OldMama** · 06-09-2012, 11:35 AM

Let's remember the point of this thread: Charters cannot use any barriers to enrollment that regular public schools cannot use. Their achievement and racial compostion are not the issue; barriers are. End of story.

**CV's mum** · 06-09-2012, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by OldMama

Let's remember the point of this thread: Charters cannot use any barriers to enrollment that regular public schools cannot use. Their achievement and racial compostion are not the issue; barriers are. End of story.

Exactly. The letters, in particular, annoy me because this implies preschool is necessary, which opens up a whole other can of worms (is it the "right" preschool? Oh, your child didn't attend preschool? Etc etc). Kindergartens have already become overly academic, and now kindergarten prep is a step before applying to a charter?

**annie** · 08-01-2012, 09:55 AM

'Significant barriers to entry' at many Philadelphia charters, says District report | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

During a public presentation, District Deputy for Strategic Initiatives Thomas Darden showed a slide indicating that Boys Latin has “significant barriers to entry.” But Darden, who resigned last week after a number of public missteps, did not mention them.
Later, Commissioner Feather Houstoun asked Boys Latin CEO David Hardy why his school was identified by the District as having a problematic application process.
“I’m stumped,” responded Hardy, who then proceeded to tell the commissioners about requiring face-to-face meetings with parents and signed “notifications of interest” before applicants are offered enrollment.
...
The SRC voted unanimously to renew Boys Latin’s charter and approve its planned expansion – with the condition that the school agree to a new admissions process to be approved by the Office of Charter Schools.

The article mentions there is a charter out there that outdoes Wissahickon:

Another unnamed charter required applicants to complete an 11-page application, write an essay, respond to 20 short-answer questions, provide three recommendations, be interviewed, and provide records related to their disciplinary history, citizenship and disability status.

**seand** · 08-01-2012, 12:48 PM

Its not all bad, though. Having parents sign agreements that their child will be charged for acts of violence or criminal activity on the school might be a good idea for all publics to drive home the point that they too as parents are responsible if their kid becomes an impediment to their classmate's learning. Its implied but spelling it out might actually be a good policy.