WAIT, WAIT. DON’T MISLEAD ME! - Charter Wait List Balderdash Debunked

I've always maintained the charter wait lists are a bunch of lies -- ask them to show you their lists. With Obama proclaiming National Charter Week, the charter lobby is going to trumpet some more phony numbers. A message from the Ravitch bloggers network:

Fellow Education Bloggers,

This is “National Charter Schools Week.”

Even the President is rejoicing with a proclamation: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/02/presidential-proclamation-national-charter-schools-week-2014

The National Alliance of Public Charter Schools is expected to release their annual pronouncement about the number of students on charter school waitlists.

Kevin Welner and Gary Miron have a MUST READ memo entitled, “WAIT, WAIT. DON’T MISLEAD ME! - NINE REASONS TO BE SKEPTICAL ABOUT CHARTER WAITLIST NUMBERS.”

You can access the memo at: http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/nepc-policymemo_waitlists.pdf

Thanks Kevin, Gary and NEPC for all you go to shine the light of truth,

Jonathan Pelto
Kevin Welner posted this message on Basecamp.

Charter Waitlist #'s: NEPC Resource for Monday's Announcement

Hi all. As part of National Charter Schools Week, the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools tomorrow (Monday) will be announcing their annual estimate of the number of students on charter school waitlists.  The number will be, I expect, well above a million.  In the past, the NAPCS and other charter advocates have use the waitlist estimate to lobby for more resources for charters.  But the number is misleading and poorly supported.

We at NEPC found out about the announcement a few days ago, and Gary Miron and I rushed to create a Policy Memo that outlines the problems with this estimate.  The Memo is now available online at nepc.colorado.edu/publication/charter-waitlists.