Editor's note: A much-longer version, complete with links to Apperson's research, is on my AJC.com's Get Schooled blog:
Depending on which ad you’ve seen, Gov. Nathan Deal’s Opportunity School District is either a white knight coming to save public education or a headless horseman coming to pillage the state’s most vulnerable communities.
I feel comfortable saying that frankly we don’t know how this endeavor might turn out if it is approved. There is a real possibility the OSD will improve education, there is a real possibility it will have little impact, and there is a real possibility it will do harm. An informed vote for or against the OSD depends on which of those possibilities you think is most likely and the extent to which you believe the state should take a risk
What will the OSD do?
The gist: Turn over the management of selected schools from the local school district’s central office to a charter operator selected by an appointee of the governor.
Voters will approve or deny the OSD by voting on Amendment 1, appearing on ballots statewide with the following language:
Provides greater flexibility and state accountability to fix failing schools through increasing community involvement. Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?
Anyone with knowledge of the OSD will recognize this statement fails to paint a clear picture of what the initiative hopes to do. But the overly genial language alone doesn’t mean it is a bad idea.
The authorizing legislation spells out more clearly the tools the state will have at its disposal when intervening in schools. They include managing the school directly, stipulating changes the local school district must make, shutting the school down, and selecting a charter organization to operate the school.
Does the OSD do a good job of ID’ing low-quality schools?
The gist: Sort of, but it more consistently picks up high-poverty schools than low-quality schools.
Each year, the state puts out a score it calls College and Career Ready Performance Index (“CCRPI”), which is mostly based on crunching standardized test scores different ways. This metric forms the basis for schools being selected for the OSD. Any school that scores below a 60 for three years in a row becomes eligible. One reasonable critique of CCRPI is it doesn’t do a very good job of comparing schools to their peers — other Georgia schools that serve similar students.
Instead, it systematically ranks schools with poor students low and schools with relatively rich students high. In reality, there are low-quality and high-quality schools at all income levels.
Existing Ga. charter schools
The gist: Local charters are slightly above average, state charters are significantly below average, and within both groups there is a great deal of variation from school to school.
On average, the charter schools now operating in Georgia are lower quality than traditional public schools. Much like traditional schools, the quality varies a great deal. Some of the best schools in the state are charters. Some of the worst schools in the state are charters.
Will the OSD charter operators be like the shining examples of what is possible (KIPP) or will they be subpar (like the average state charter)?
There are some reasons to believe the OSD charter partners will be more successful than state-approved charter schools. First, the funding will be higher. The OSD will fund schools like locally approved charters and give them facilities. Second, the OSD will be tasked with seeking out high-quality charter operators.
If Georgia had a history of holding its charter schools to a high standard, I would feel more comfortable supporting Amendment 1. But with the mixed reality that exists today, supporting the amendment would require me to trust Georgia will raise the charter quality bar in the future, partnering with high-quality organizations.
If that is a risk you are willing to take, vote yes.
If instead you believe the state needs to demonstrate more consistent results from the charters already operating before taking on a new initiative, vote no.
