Magnets in charter shadow

Educators seeking new alternatives to failing schools

Charter schools are the alternative choice these days.

President Barack Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan are on board. They are making a major push nationally to implement charters to turn around failing schools.

The move has been fueled partly by alternative schools' success in Chicago, where Mr. Duncan was the head of the city's public school system.

Tennessee recently lifted a cap on the number of charter schools that can be formed statewide while opening enrollment to a larger pool of students.

MAGNETS V. CHARTERSMagnet schools typically have a particular academic focus, such as the arts or science and technology, that is aimed at helping the schools attract a diverse student population. They grew significantly in the mid-1980s and are run by public school districts. Charter schools are a newer kind of public school with much more flexibility than traditional public schools to choose their own curricula and set their own policies. They can be run by individuals, nonprofit organizations or private companies.Source: Education Week

So with all the charter buzz, backers of magnet schools, another alternative public school similar to charters, say magnets aren't getting the attention or funding they deserve.

"I've heard people say they consider magnet schools to be old-fashioned and out of date," said Karla Riddle, Hamilton County Schools' director of magnet schools.

Connie Smith, the state Department of Education's assistant commissioner for the division of accountability, teaching and learning, said Tennessee officials emphasized charter schools in their recent application for federal Race to the Top funding, as an option for turning around a failing school.

"I think it's being touted as another option. There's a lot more press about it because of the president's leadership," Dr. Smith said. "Chartering is a great approach, another approach. The jury is still out on the results."

Charter schools deserve all the attention they're getting, said Sharon Shedrick, school coordinator at Ivy Academy, one of two charter schools that opened this school year in Hamilton County.

"They've been around for a long time, we just haven't had them in the South so long. That's why everybody is talking about them," she said. "People are talking about them now like they're the new thing."

Cindy Dees, assistant principal at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, said the very fact that charter schools haven't been around as long seems to be part of their appeal.

"I think the national focus is on 'shaking up' the traditional education program and so the charter schools' perceived role as 'nontraditional' is very attractive right now," she said.

In Hamilton County, magnet schools have been around since the late 1980s, and the district has 15. The schools have a specific academic emphasis such as technology, arts or the environment.

This year, the school system added the environmentally themed high school Ivy Academy and the all-girls Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy.

"We're fairly well-established with magnet schools," Ms. Riddle said. "I think (magnets) are held to a higher standard than charters. It's a real mixed bag. Some (charter schools) have been very successful, others have not."

Ms. Riddle said that, while some magnet schools have been very successful in Hamilton County, others have struggled. According to the state report card, some of the district's magnet schools perform well above state averages, while others are far below.

For example, Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences earned nearly straight A's in achievement, while fellow magnet school Calvin Donaldson Elementary earned straight F's.

Follow Kelli Gauthier on Twitter at twitter.com/gauthierkelli.

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