|
|
 |
 |
News & Information
Charters Become Safety Net For Parents, Children
July 10, 2006
Long waiting lists are common
By Martha Woodall and Susan Snyder
Inquirer Staff Writers
 |
| Photo Courtesy of Sarah J. Glover / Inquirer |
|
|
Charter schools have become popular in part because parents see them as havens from the violence in public schools.
In the last five years, the number of charters in Philadelphia has grown from 34 to 55, and enrollment has more than doubled to 26,466. Many charters - schools that are publicly funded but exempt from some state regulations - have long waiting lists.
"You want to make sure when your children leave you and go to school in the morning, they're safe," said Diane Newman, whose son Torin attends Multi-Cultural Academy Charter School in Logan.
"I do feel safe," Torin, 17, said. "People look after us."
"If you were to take a survey of charter school parents, one of the major reasons they seek out charter schools is safety," said Jacquelyn Y. Kelley, the chief administrative officer at Discovery Charter School in West Philadelphia.
Discovery has 501 elementary school students and 100 more names on its waiting list.
Kelley said she often receives calls from parents "who are desperate to get their child out of a Philadelphia School District school because they fear for their child's safety, either in the school or to and from school."
Lawrence F. Jones Jr., president of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Charter Schools, said parents like charters because they are "smaller and often close-knit school environments."
State data appears to support the view that charters are safer. In 2003-04, the most recent year available, the 46 charters in Philadelphia had an average violent-incident rate of less than one per 100 students compared to three for public schools.Not all charters excel in academics, however. An Inquirer analysis of 2005 state test scores found students at about half the charters did no better than students in district schools.
Because charters draw from across the city, most younger students are bused and avoid many of the dangers of walking to school.
Older charter students frequently take public transportation. One charter goes to unusual lengths to ensure the safety of its students on SEPTA.
Security officers from the Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School escort students from their building on North Broad Street to the nearby Spring Garden subway stop. Officers wait on the platform as students board and will ride with them if they sense trouble.
"Your presence can a lot of times deter a situation," security officer Willis Hackett said.
"Many schools feel that after dismissal, they are done," said Veronica Joyner, the charter's chief executive. "Here, we are responsible until the students get home."
Sakena Hamilton vowed to get her daughter Valencia Morgan, 17, out of Germantown High School after she was repeatedly harassed by a group of girls who chased her home and jumped her.
Valencia's grandmother began picking her up from school, but Hamilton said her daughter was so traumatized that her grades plummeted, and she threatened to drop out.
After encountering waiting lists at other charters, Hamilton tried Math, Civics and Sciences, which made room.
She said Valencia has rebounded since transferring there in November.
"She is my child again," Hamilton said.
Joanne Wendler said her son Nicholas, 9, is flourishing at First Philadelphia Charter School for Literacy in Bridesburg, where he has been since kindergarten.
Now she is trying to find a charter for her older son, Corie. The ninth grader at Northeast High got a black eye recently in a scuffle with students outside school.
Corie's name is among more than 200 on the waiting list for 10th grade at Philadelphia Academy Charter School in the Northeast.
Return to Previous Page...
|
|
|
|
