Study: More Students 'Left Behind' At Calif. Charter Schools
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Take note, Compton officials: charter schools don't automatically translate into scholastic success, at least according to one public education researcher.
A new report assessing troubled schools in California and nine other states says that too many low-performing schools are being mismanaged instead of simply shut down.
Mike Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a non-profit group that promotes
excellence in public education, tells KFWB's Maggie McKay the study shows low-performing schools stay are hard to fix for a variety of reasons.
Petrilli says while closing schools may not always be practical, especially in the challenging economic climate facing California, some schools may actually show improvement with a new approach and new management.
Earlier this month, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the state education board to investigate complaints of alleged misconduct in a Compton charter school petition drive.
The petitions were part of California's first test of a new "parent trigger" law that empowers parents to make sweeping changes at low-performing schools.
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