Critics fear Stanislaus County charter schools have an unfair advantage

Second of a two-part series

When her twin daughters, Megan and Mackenzie, were in third grade, Janice Anderson noticed a shift in their school habits. They weren't motivated.

She determined it was because few of their peers were inclined to take school seriously, and their teacher seemed unable to keep everyone on task.

"I noticed a lot of classroom time was spent getting people up to speed," Anderson recalled.

Dissatisfied, Anderson asked other parents where their children went to school, and found Whitmore Charter Schools in Ceres.

"Most of Whitmore's families have similar goals. It's a refreshing change," she said. She noted that the PTA at the traditional school her children attended consisted of just Anderson, another parent and a community member.

Now in eighth grade, the twins are engaged and excited about their electives, such as technology classes.

"Teachers seem to be more focused on what we need, and technology (classes) are cool," Mackenzie said. "It's not a big school. We're friends with everybody."

Many more Stanislaus County families are choosing charter schools — enough to create demand for eight new charter campuses in just the past five years.

Those decisions are changing the way education is delivered, challenging public schools to be more flexible and giving parents more choices than they've ever had.

Yet some fear that charter schools are "skimming" the most involved parents — ones such as Anderson — out of the traditional public school system, putting those schools at a long-term disadvantage against their newer rivals.

"Another educator once told me that it's like traditionals and charters are all in a race, but the state allows charters to build their race cars faster," said Bill Redford, director of Riverbank Language Academy and a former employee of the California Charter Schools Association.

In many ways, charter schools are better positioned for success. They tend to be smaller schools that give students more individual attention.

They have more parental involvement, whether it's through financial donations, volunteers in the classroom, or engagement in students' education. Those contributions are mandatory at some charters.

Charters have teachers and staff who say they are more involved in decision making and feel more empowered. They enroll students who are more likely to come from higher-income families.

Most charters have master agreements that require a certain level of good behavior, attendance and work to remain enrolled.

"They don't have to get A's and B's, but they do need to work hard and apply themselves," Whitmore Charter School Principal Paula Smith said.

But critics are concerned that the limited number of charter schools does not allow access for everyone.

With waiting lists commonplace, charters use lottery systems to admit students. Most give preference to students who already attend the school or have siblings already enrolled.

And because most parents seeking school choice tend to be wealthier and more involved, critics say charter schools steal the best and brightest students from traditional public schools.

The largest indicator of student success is how committed a parent is to their child's education, said Barney Hale, executive director of the Modesto Teachers Association, the union that represents teachers in the Modesto City Schools District.

"Children can succeed regardless of environment if they have support at home," he said. "Ultimately, public schools can't just be dumping grounds for students with not-as- committed parents or academic ability. It's destructive to public education."