www.village-charter.org

photo © 2011 U.S. Department of Agriculture | more info (via: Wylio)The advantages of charter schools in countering the deficiencies of the public school system are well known. The White House and the Department of State just released a report arguing that Hispanic student continue to score below the national average on standardized tests and that they have the “lowest education attainment levels” in the United States especially in reading and math. Charter Schools to the rescue – at least in New Mexico, where the problem has long been recognized. Several organization in Valencia county have recently come together in a pilot project that aims to use the possibilities of charter schools and works in close collaboration with the business community.

Material incentives are one part of the program, everything from IPods to Pell Grants. More interestingly, Valencia county officials are working on curriculum changes that address the cultural needs of Hispanic students. What that means is that they are in one way or another bringing back the ethnic studies that have been under attack for quite some time. News-Bulletin.com quotes Dr. Diane Torres-Velasquez, a University of New Mexico professor: “When kids were given ethnic studies, their test scores rose dramatically, up to 90-something percent.” It will be hard for opponents of ethnic studies programs to find fault with the charter school approach, after all, they are not technically public schools and if you don’t like it you can just send your kids elsewhere. Sounds pretty good to me, we’ll keep an eye on it. Please post a comment if you hear more…

2 Responses to “Charter Schools Against Underachievement”