05-23-2000 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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Minnesota should be proud it began charter movement So egg - . portant is going on when 70 per- cent of the nation's char ter public schools repo waiting lists. Some thin citing is g - Thapp g JOE NATHAN STAFF COLUMNIST when two- thirds of the parents surveyed by University of Minnesota researchers say their child's aca- demic performance has improved . at a charter school, 79 percent report their children's self-confi- dence dence increased and 80 percent say students' motivation for learn- ing improved since enrolling. In this, the first national charter schools week, it's worth consider- ing what U.S. Sen. Paul Wellston,; D- Minn., calls "the marvelous charter school idea." Civil rights legend Rosa Parks. -. has asked to start a charter in Detroit. All over the nation civil rights advocates are helping to start charters. So are dissatisfied rural, urban and suburban parents. For example, some frustrated sub ver parents created a charter in a former grocery - store, comb' ' ' ' : conservative ideas of w.• should be taught with liberal deas of how to teach. The Colored Education Depart-. ment recen y named their school one. of the • • te's best Many , . in low - income areas like Paul's City Acade- my,. and Co „unity of Peace, have improv : student achieve- ment. In Minnt-a . and nationally, charters serve the tire range of students. The vast m ority of charter schools are sm • . — gen- erally fewer than 150 stu, , is which corresponds to many • dies recommending small schools. First developed 10 yeain ago in Minnesota, the charter movement has grown to 36 states, from one charter school in St. Paul to more than 1,700 nationwide. The charter idea rests on three bask principles • Give people an opportunity to carry out their dreams. • Insist on responsibilities, as well as rights. fer freedom, within certain tion says t the gov- ded e Iegis- Isto limits. The Ventura a it supports charters. error's staff has reco Butting in half funds that Iature promised charter sch help with building costs. Strange. Why not cut in half e state's commitment to all p schools? Doesn't sound lik= a very good idea, does it? (For information on • , : a charter, call Traci LaF u ere at the State Department of 4+I' dren, 8217e� � Learning, (6 ' ) 582 - ancy Smith at th Humphrey Institute, (612) 62 7552. The charter movement is • ' e more thing for Minnesota to proud of — it's promoting op tunity, responsibility and resul public education. ,,;, 1 * :1 , t ,: • 1 Page 29