Schools Not Doing Their Job

I recently read the article “Ring the Closing Bell,” the New York Daily News Editorial.  This opinion piece is about how instead of being shut down for its awful performance of students, The UFT School, a charter school in Brooklyn, was given a two-year extension by the SUNY Charter Schools Institute, despite often underperforming.  Charter schools operate with the bargain that they will get public funds and independence in return for good results in academics.  The Brownsville School, having only 18% of their students scoring at grade level in English and 35% at grade level in math, is not holding up its end of the bargain.  The SUNY Charter School Institute is letting down the parents, teachers and students of the Brownsville School and other Failing Charter Schools by allowing them to continue to operate at such a low level.

The author wants you feel frustrated by the fact that certain Charter schools that are performing very poorly are being kept open despite their performance.  The Daily News achieves this by providing statistics such as the percent of children performing at grade level in English and math in the Brownsville school.  The author wants you to think Charter schools that are performing poorly academically should be closed. The author achieves this by providing the “bargain” with which Charter schools operate.

Personally, I think that these Charter schools that are performing inexcusably poor should be closed by The SUNY Charter Schools Institute or at least the grades should attempted to be raised instead of allowing an extension.  Any school that is performing at a very low level is not doing its job but a Charter school especially, because it is almost in agreement that it will provide good academics in return for public funds and independence.  By keeping these schools open, The SUNY Charter Schools Institute is letting down parents by not allowing a poor performing school to continue to operate, but more importantly letting down the children that attend the school.  The expect to receive a good education for attending that school and the school is not doing its job to provide that.