Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Orange Grove: What Freedom Can Do
One of the most racially diverse schools in the Charleston County School System can brag about an achievement gap between black and white students of only 2.4 percent in English and 1.2 percent in Math, as compared to the district-wide averages of 20.1 percent and 26.5 percent, respectively. Close to being statistically insignificant. And the CCSD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to renew the charter for Orange Grove Elementary. Could it have done as well if the school had not been a charter? Not likely! Kudos to Principal Larry DiCenzo and his staff. He pointed to instituting a phonics-based reading program that isn't on the state's approved list and the charter's freedom to purchase and use it. Double kudos.
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"Let my people go"...and watch them prosper.
You would think CCSD would get it by now. Instead of blocking charter schools, the county administration should be pushing them. The school district might rightly claim credit for the success of local charter schools if district administrators had supported them from the outset. A few lessons in cost savings to local taxpayers might also be learned in the process.
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