Eric Grannis (Eva Hubby) Charter Failure - Two Citizens of the World charter schools will close

For those parents who were scammed and are now crying about the school's closing -- I hear some of them talking choice, choice, choice -- there are many choices in District 14 --- we were all warning everyone about citizens of the world.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

WSJ Reports on Citizens of the World Charter Underenrollment

The school's experience demonstrates that charter schools, which often say parents need more choices, can be stung when parents' decisions don't fall their way. It also bolsters opponents who say that, despite claims of long wait lists and tales of parents craving alternatives, there isn't as much demand for charter schools as supporters say... Lisa Fleisher, WSJ.

Lisa Fleisher often writes pieces that are fairly reported. This is another one. I can't think of another ed reporter who has brought up the point we often make about phony demand. Now if the ed press would do a FOIL on those supposed signatures charters use to claim demand.

[I was also pleased to see Lisa tweet some points of contention over the awful NY Times education editorial  - I'll try to recover them and add them to a follow-up piece later.]

One interesting point that Lisa doesn't mention is how few of the kids enrolled come from the neighborhood the school is located in -- I believe less than 5%. She does point out that kids come from as far away as Rockaway -- truly astounding when you think of the commute for little kids. I love that she gives recognition to Brooke Parker and WAGPOPS for the work they do in defending the local public schools in Williamsburg and Greenpoint.

Given that by hook or crook, Citizens of the World has managed to get close to their target, don't be surprised to see kids being dragged off the street -- and I bet there are some hidden incentives involved somewhere since so much is at stake.

Reported on ed notes:

https://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2013/12/wsj-reports-on-citizens-of-world.html

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Dec 2, 2013 -
I remember very well the outrage when this charter came into town. Ed Notes covered the school extensively - see more links below. Eva Moskowitz' was involved in the scheme early on, as Brooke Parker from WAGPOPS reports:

Eric Grannis didn’t start it, but he created an organization, Tapestry, that made introductions between the “community,” the charter network that already existed in California, and SUNY. Tapestry was designed to help open charters in North Brooklyn, a district where we already had the most charters outside of Harlem. Tapestry’s marketing led many of us to believe that they were particularly interested in getting white gentrifying families invested in opening charters for their kids.

- Brooke Parker

Here are some ed notes links for background:

Search Results

Ed Notes Online: Trashing Citizens of the World Scam Charter ...

https://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2013/.../trashing-citizens-of-world-scam-charter.ht...

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Trashing Citizens of the World Scam Charter Scheme. As registration is happening for citizens of the world (part of Eva Moskowitz empire), if you could circulate these negative articles and have everyone click on them, it would be very helpful. We need to let everyone know that there is significant opposition.

Ed Notes Online: Parents Opposed to Citizens of the World Charter ...

https://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2012/12/parents-opposed-to-citizens-of-world.html

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Dec 5, 2012 - Parents Opposed to Citizens of the World Charter: Hundreds, Parents in Favor: 4. The NY State Dept. would allow the Hitler Youth Charter to breeze through and not only would they authorize the Ku Klux Klan Charter School for Racial Harmony but they would wash the sheets. -- Norm at charter hearing.

WAGPOPS Brilliant Expose of Citizens of the World Charter Ponzi ...

https://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2012/.../wagpops-brilliant-expose-of-citizerns.htm...

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We believe that there is a place in public education for charter schools, but Citizens of the World is bastardizing the original intent of charter schools. ... The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint ...

Sandie Noyola, principal of my old school, invited the refugees:

PS147 Brooklyn is happy to welcome the students and their families. Thank you for your advocacy in the name of public education WAGPOPS.

Williamsburg and Greenpoint Parents for Our Public Schools (WAGPOPS)

December 15, 2017  · 

Here's an article on the closing of the two Citizens of the World Charter Schools. There are some links to remind everyone the various ways that we tried to close the school before families became invested and children would be hurt.

This is deja vu for our community. We already witnessed the closing of Beginning with Children Charter School and Ethical Community Charter School. Hopefully, SUNY (the charter school authorizers) will learn their lesson and stop forcing charters on communities.

Here is the Chalkbeat article -- don't you wish they actually linked to some background stuff from WAGPOPS 4 years ago?

https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2017/12/15/two-citizens-of-the-world-charter-schools-will-close-at-the-end-of-this-year/

Two Brooklyn charter schools that were likely to be turned down for renewal will be shuttered at the end of this school year, after their board voted Thursday night not to seek another term.

The two elementary schools, Citizens of the World Williamsburg and Citizens of the World Crown Heights, are part of a California-based network that got off to a rocky start in New York City in 2013 and has struggled to show signs of academic promise.

It is rare, but not unheard of, for New York’s charter schools to close schools for poor performance. The State University of New York, which oversees 160 schools in New York and authorized Citizens of the World, has seen six schools shuttered since 2004. In some instances, SUNY sends preliminary notice that the school’s chances of renewal are slim, as they did with Citizens of the World, and the schools chose to accept the outcome rather than fight SUNY. 

“This is one of the most wrenching decisions that any board will ever need to make,” said Erin Corbett, the interim executive director of Citizens of the World Charter Schools New York, in an emailed statement. “This decision is very painful for all of us and even more painful for the families we serve. We love these schools and all that they stand for.” (These are the only two schools run by Citizens of the World in New York City.) 

Charter schools buy into an “autonomy for accountability” bargain where they receive freedom from some district rules, and in exchange, agree to hit academic benchmarks. If they fail to show enough progress, the schools risk closure. 

In the end, the board decided the schools’ failure to improve their scores gave them a small chance of securing renewal and chose to focus its energy instead on helping families and teachers find new placements for next year, Corbett said. 

Both schools — which are located on Leonard Street in Williamsburg and Empire Boulevard in Crown Heights —  serve grades kindergarten through fifth grade. The network’s website says the curriculum includes learning through projects and “personalized learning,” or instruction specific to each particular students’ understanding.

Susie Miller Carello, executive director of the SUNY Charter Schools Institute, said that while the schools were underperforming, she appreciated the board’s choice to take a responsible route and not fight SUNY’s recommendation for non-renewal.

“While the school did not achieve the promise that they offered in their application,” Miller-Carello said, the charter school’s board “was very honest with themselves and us about both schools’ inability to fulfill the things that they agreed to when they got their charter.” 

The network received a cold welcome in New York City, with a group of parents filing a lawsuit opposing the schools by claiming that there was not enough community support for them. The schools also came under fire for an enrollment strategy that targeted affluent families. 

Since then, the schools have struggled with leadership turnover at their regional office and within the schools themselves, said Miller Carello. They are also some of the lowest performing schools authorized by SUNY, she added. 

At each school, more than 85 percent of students come from homes considered  in poverty and the vast majority of students are either black or Hispanic. Roughly one in five students passed the math or English state test last year. At the school in Crown Heights, only 12 percent of students passed math. Citywide, about 41 percent of students passed English and 37.8 passed math. (Roughly 40 percent of students statewide passed both the math and English tests.)
They also fall far below the overall charter school average in New York City. Among charter school students citywide, 52 percent pass state math tests and 48 percent pass the English test, according to the New York City Charter School Center.

From the beginning, the neighborhood did not need another school while other schools in the community remained under-enrolled. The school’s finances were an “abomination,” and the leadership was ill-equipped to oversee the schools, said Brooke Parker, a parent in the district who fought the schools from the start. 

“We did everything we could because we didn’t need the school,” Parker said. “It was going to be a waste of resources.”  
Charter school advocates say the decision is an example of how charter schools can be forced to pay the price if they are not measuring up for students.

“My guess is that there are probably some parents who deeply disagree with the decision because they feel they don’t have a better option for their child and that is heartbreaking and tragic,” said James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center. But, he added, “This is the autonomy for accountability trade off playing out, and this is what happens.”

By Monica Disare         @MonicaDisare         mdisare@chalkbeat.org