I guess this post means that the Sun did have someone at the Board meeting. Thanks John-John!

This post is proof to me that unless there's some spirit of compromise any charter school decisions are going to cause much screaming and gnashing of teeth.

If you grant a charter to an applicant there will be those (as evidenced by posts on this blog) who say they need to do more to prove they are worthy.

If you renew a charter and there is even one test score that's not stellar you'll be accused of letting mediocre charters stay open while closing poorly performing schools

If you close down a charter for not meeting performance expectations you haven't given them long enough to try.

If you give charters short term extensions for results that aren't good enough you aren't holding them accountable.

If charters get good results it's because they don't have to follow the same rules as other schools.

If charters get bad results it's because you didn't look at the previous results of the kids that they are serving.

Seems impossible to prove that you are being fair to a majority of people.

Stone is right that three years is a short time to make a decision on whether to renew a charter, but from the perspective of the kids, that an entire generation. If a school doesn't have it's act together by three years, they've already failed an entire cohort of students.

VanHook is right, the school board needs to be going into these schools. I'm sure that school's presentation was fantastic, but anyone can put on a one-day show. Until Alonso and the school board start making themselves present in the schools, they will never really know what's going on at the ground level.

I know that schools become a big part of their surrounding communities, but once we start getting overly sentimental, we stop focusing on whether the school is actually opening up opportunities for all of its students.

@ AP - The majority is enrolled in non-charter so is your implication that non-charter can't get a fair shake? Just kidding, I know you have sipped the charter school kool-aid.

I understand that we'd like for school board members to base their decisions on what is "really" going on in schools, but is it completely necessary that they themselves do the observing? Is it OK if they rely on the reports of others who have been in the school or do they need personal first-hand knowledge for them to make these choices? Just throwing the question out there.

So board members aren't in the habit of visiting schools? From the meeting quotes reported here, it sounds like observing classrooms is a rarity that requires special arrangements, which would be pathetic. Of course our leadership should be in schools. I think following well-informed recommendations is fine too, but now I'd really like to know - how often does our system's leadership drop in on schools? And how much opportunity is there to make authentic observations that aren't prearranged?

@Campbell -
You are aware that school board members are unpaid (I think) and that they have jobs, right? Upper leadership who are supposed to be visiting schools would be on the payroll, IMHO. The school board is like a company board (though corporate boards are usually very well compensated) that is supposed to be independent from the company they are over-seeing.

I'm not saying they should or shouldn't tour schools, I'm just saying that you need to realize that these people are not going to be spending 40 hours a week (or even 10) doing City Schools business while they are working fulltime in other jobs.

Hi bloggers, one of the school board members here (really). We visit schools all the time, and many of us have visited the charters up for renewal so we get a chance to see the classrooms, observe instruction, talk to parents and teachers, and meet students. Yes we are all volunteers, but we all take our duties very seriously. Thank you all for your comments and suggestions by the way.

I have to say that if the previous blogger is really a board member, I am impressed that he or she cares what the constituents think. Baltimore County could use that type of board member. BCPS board thinks they work for the superintendent....they do not. A public school board works for the people.

Dear School Board Member,
Thank you for all the work you do on behalf of the students and parents in the city. I am sure it is often a thankless job. Unfortunately, the renewal process is blatantly skewed in favor of those schools where the administrations and governing bodies have political power in the city. At our school, it was well-known that our governing body had met with Dr. Alonso on more than one occasion to "plead" their case. The school prepped for weeks prior to the visit from the board members and only "selected" faculty met with board members. These meetings were not private, and so faculty/staff had to be quite guarded in their comments. It is my understanding that most of the people present were reticent to "tell the truth" . They were fearful of retaliation from the administration and the governing body. At least one of the of schools recommended for renewal is considered a "failing" school(after failure to make AYP for numerous years) and in danger of being taken over by msde. I doubt that this is indicative of the quality of education that we expect from our charter schools. Nor is it the kind of "thinking outside the box" that Dr. Alonso mentioned when speaking with a group of well-to-do city residents recently. Please, go to these schools for unscheduled visits. Please, select random faculty members to interview and do it in private. Please, elicit comments from parents not employed by the school. Our children are dependent on you to make the best decisions regarding their educations. And we're running out of time......

Most of the time I do visit schools unannounced, and I see a lot of learning going on - quiet hallways, students engaged in their lessons, and staff who will speak plainly during the visit. I appreciate the suggestions from charmschool54, but I offer the observation that you should expect any school facing charter renewal will lobby the CEO, the Board, and elected officials. That's why it is imperative that we use a rubric that evaluates test scores, school environments, and other factors which provide a larger view of what is going on in any particular school. Lobbying is not a determining factor in any way, nor is there any "skewing" - I can assure you that does NOT happen. Honest.

I again thank everyone for this dialogue.

I am a parent of a child in a Charter School and was appalled to find out that my special needs child
had been taught by a araprofessional all
school year that was listed as a teacher on his report card. Apparently she was previously a teacher and did not pass the required test that the teachers need to pass. Who’s checking the credentials of the teachers at these Charter schools? . Who is policing the charter schools? At the same charter school, foreign language is not offered and now many of the other parents are upset to find out that many of the 11th grade students will not have the courses required to graduate unless they go to summer school. This is one of the middle schools that students will be offered as a choice in the spring. Someone needs to look more closely at the MATHS School before making it a viable choice for other city school children!!!

I'm curious if there are any blogs or other source of independent, subjective reviews of the various charter schools around Baltimore City. The websites that compile data (greatschoools.org, sunshinereview.org, etc.) all seem to have outdated info and little in the way of reviews. Maybe InsideEd has done this or knows where it is, but I'd love to see a site compare and contrast the various charter schools and talk about their character, their academic progress, etc.). As a parent of a child about to enter K, it's painful trying to find good information about the charter schools, let alone any useful information about the neighborhood public schools. Goldseker's neighborhood/school grant initiative might have a good impact on this issue, but it is definitely an area needing help (unless there's just a resource I haven't been able to find). If so, then please enlighten me.

I'm curious if there are any blogs or other source of independent, subjective reviews of the various charter schools around Baltimore City. The websites that compile data (greatschoools.org, sunshinereview.org, etc.) all seem to have outdated info and little in the way of reviews. Maybe InsideEd has done this or knows where it is, but I'd love to see a site compare and contrast the various charter schools and talk about their character, their academic progress, etc.). As a parent of a child about to enter K, it's painful trying to find good information about the charter schools, let alone any useful information about the neighborhood public schools. Goldseker's neighborhood/school grant initiative might have a good impact on this issue, but it is definitely an area needing help (unless there's just a resource I haven't been able to find). If so, then please enlighten me.

@Patrick Mc
I don't know of sources of subjective reviews, but you can look at all the data that is collected through MSA's for charter schools as well as neighborhood schools. Beyond test scores there's demographics and attendance. In my experience, going to look at a school and talking to administrators and if possible, talking to other parents is about all there is, and it is a pretty good indicator of the "feel" of a school. I've never had a school (charter or standard) ever object to scheduling a visit, though sometimes schedules are busy.