By Lynn Hatter
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-978455.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – The State Board of Education has agreed to give the state's most persistently failing schools more time to improve. Lynn Hatter reports the schools have a history of failing grades and poor performance on federal accountability measures.
The eight lowest performing schools in the state were faced with three options: shutting down, being privatized or becoming charter schools. None of that happened. Instead, the board allowed them one more year to improve. Early in the meeting, Board member Roberto Martinez openly questioned the charter school option. While the program is popular in Florida, Martinez says it's not a one-size fits all solution.
"I think charters are an integral part of the choice equation. They can be good, they can be bad so I think what we all need to do is look at the topic of charter schools as an important part of the mix. Just because something has a label on it, doesn't mean it's good."
The debate over whether charter schools do better or worse than their traditional school counterparts has been around for years. Recent comparisons of charters and public schools in Florida show they perform about the same. When faced with the possibility of privatizing, closing or converting the persistently failing schools, Interim state education Commissioner John Winn also raised concerns.
"I believe being limited to four options really does limit all of our ability to really find significant solutions."
Most of the schools the board of education looked at are high schools, and that's where, historically, the state has had the most difficulty with student performance. Miami-Dade Superintendent Roberto Carvahlo said that's the case with two of the high schools singled out in his district. And although the schools, Miami Central and Miami Edison, have made progress they still have a long way to go.
"Because you inherit, by the time they are ninth graders, a deficit in learning that will take time to improve on."
The eight public schools targeted for intervention got to that point because of several different factors. Some of them have received failing grades from the state for the last four or more years. Others may have higher school grades, but struggle in one area, like reading. And in that case Florida's interim education Commissioner John Winn says the state is sending mixed messages on the value of its school grading system.
"I don't think anybody would intentionally develop a grading system that allows a school to be graded a C when it has very low reading school."
Federal education standards have also played a role in the schools' problems. The national "No Child Left Behind Act" breaks schools down according to student demographics. If one of those groups fails to make progress the whole school gets a failing label. Based on the state board's decision, the school districts have another year to turn their schools around.