New York Post: Schools That Transform Kids' Lives

A New York Post op-ed by Bill Baccaglini of The New York Foundling, one of the city's oldest and largest child-welfare agencies, describes charter schools as places where “our poorest, most vulnerable children -- children who might otherwise be lost and forgotten -- are having their lives transformed by education,” and where “progress is often dramatic -- after generations of stagnation.” Baccaglini’s organization sponsors Haven Charter School, where two-thirds of the children are in foster care or are at risk of neglect and abuse. According to Baccaglini, charters receive 34 percent less government funding than traditional schools, yet Haven is already showing evidence of becoming a model for educating at-risk children. Community-based charters like Haven play an important role in the overall system, where the most vulnerable children “will always be more likely to fall through the cracks.”
Source: New York Post, http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/schools_that_transform_kids_lives_Ymb47GtbANtIaCtDIcCm8N
[reposted from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Page]

Recently, within the California state budget proposals being presented, the ASAM (Alternative Schools Accountability Model established in 1999) is proposed to be eliminated. By eliminating the ASAM designation many schools serving at risk youth (Community Schools, Court Schools, Alternative Schools, Independent Study Schools, etc) may in fact fall into the sticky spider webs being spun in the name of accountability (ie the closing of the lowest performing schools).

My thoughts and I welcome yours as well - is that we can ill afford to close schools who are serving the most vulnerable of our population (pregnant/parenting teens, homeless youth, credit deficient youth etc) at a time when our high school drop out rate is so high and our graduation rate so abysmal - and yet that will be the unintended consequence of this action.  Those of us who serve this vulnerable population - and those who simply care - please contact your legislators and express your concern regarding this proposal.