Ross Global Charter Facts

CEC One, has formally endorsed and supported RGACS each time the school was slated to co locate in D One schools- because we believed in the mission and aims of the promised charter, and we believed there was room in the host sites to fairly accommodate the school-to-be.

However, over the last 5 years we have heard countless complaints from parents, students, educators and administrators who left the school due to the unacceptable, ineffectual management and pedagogical practices at the school.

The results of these poor practices over the 5 year life of the charter have led to high turnover of students/staff/leadership, low performance and inability to service our neediest kids.

As I said, there truly is no vendetta- only the desire to hold this charter to its own commitments and standards, and to suggest the authorizer make good on the promise of charter school experiments- if they do not get it right after 5 years they need to cease to function, per the premise of all charter schools.

 Charter Schools are privately-managed, high-risk experimental not-for-profit educational entities, not regular public schools and the playing field and rules are entirely different.

One of the fundamental differences between Charter Schools and public schools is in recruiting and admissions: no matter the law or the neighborhood Charter Schools consistently serve a disproportionately low number of  high-needs students as compared with the district schools or the rest of the NYC public schools, on average.

This is true for RGACS-

School Name	Year	Enrollment	% Free Lunch	% Reduced Lunch	% ELL	% tested= SpEd	% AA	%Hispanic	%White	% Asian	ELA %	Math%
Ross Global Charter School	2007/2008	211	28%	13%	3%	10%	48%	27%	2%	17%	72.5%	82.5%
Ross Global Charter School	2008/2009	323	18%	13%	2%	8%	51%	24%	5%	8%	73%	88%
District One	2007/2008	11,653	58%	8%	12%	11%	19%	48%	13%	19%	60%	76%
District One	2008/2009	11,857	62%	8%	12%	11%	19%	47%	14%	20%	71%	82%
NYC* 1035406	2007/2008	1,035,406	67%****	11%****	%	9%	32%	40%	14%	14%	51%	65%
NYC*	2008/2009	1,029,459	NA	Free and reduced= 79%**	16%***	10%	31%	40%	15%	14%	58%	74%

Data sources: 

All data from NYS school  report cards, unless otherwise specified:

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/reportcard/

*  DoE Official Audited October 31st Register (JFORM)

http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/data/stats/Register/JFormbyDistricts/default.htm

** The Kids’ Well-being Indicators Clearinghouse (KWIC)

KWIC Indicator:Children Receiving Free or Reduced-price School Lunch - Public Schools number and percent children in grades K-6

 Data Provider: NYS Education Department

http://www.nyskwic.org/get_data/indicator_profile.cfm?subIndicatorID=52&indYear1=2008&go.x=9&go.y=14&go=Submit&indYear2=2009

***Consolidated Application Update, DCEP Addendum Update, 2008-2009

Allocations for Title III, Part A LEP For Eligible New York State Public School Districts and Charter Schools Data Source: Student Information Repository System (Public), BEDS (Non-Public)

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/funding/cladcep/0809/titleIII0809lepallocs.htm

****

SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL:  THE FAILURE OF NEW YORK CITY CHARTER SCHOOLS  TO SERVE THE CITY’S NEEDIEST STUDENTS  JANUARY 2010

Chart 1. Percentage of Students Eligible for Free- and Reduced-Price Lunch

Source:  2007/2008 NYS Report Card