charterproject

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Artistic Expression + the Charter School Experience

In “Op-Ed: Dalai Lama: We need an education of the heart” the Dalai Lama states that one of his wishes is that “one day, formal education will pay attention to the education of the heart, teaching love, compassion, justice, forgiveness, mindfulness, tolerance and peace. This education is necessary, from kindergarten to secondary schools and universities. I mean social, emotional and ethical learning.” (Gyatso) It is a message that those in charge of running charter schools need to hear frequently, as their model of education prioritizes academics over EVERYTHING. One story that sticks with me is the insistence by a charter school’s leadership team that a child that had been hospitalized for a suicide attempt do his homework even though the reason the child tried to end his life is because he was overwhelmed by school. That is not an approach that teaches or embraces students. 

These feelings are further compounded by the fact that students at charter schools are rarely given the opportunity to express themselves or deviate from any procedures that do not promote testing culture; I’m sure that if the student whose story I referenced earlier had an opportunity to express himself, he would have felt less inclined to take such drastic actions. For this reason I have decided to include the voices of charter school students throughout this project, this way they get to have their story told in their own words, not just mine. 

Additionally, I have included pieces of art in this project from 6th Graders of varying ability levels and socioeconomic backgrounds that attend a charter school. It was especially important to me that they convey their ideas and feelings artistically to keep in mind the varying ability levels of these children. I’d hate to alienate any of them, especially in an activity that is meant to be therapeutic for them. Another reason that it was important to me that they get an opportunity to express themselves artistically is because it facilitates personal connections (an idea present in Luca Giardina’s text). Their teachers now know how they feel about school and can cater to them specifically - some students shared that they did not have positive feelings about going to a charter, therefore connecting with them may look different from a student who enjoys school. 

Charter schools present an interesting moral quandary for me because to some degree they do contribute positively to the students within their model. It would be unjust to not recognize the opportunities they provide to students of color in low income communities. Students rarely have to pay out of pocket for resources, materials, or experiences. Many of them also have the benefit of receiving excellent funding. As a result students get access to free technology and in school resources like college counselors and social workers. Nonetheless does the good that they do, outweigh the bad? 

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S.P. - 6th Grader 

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P.M. - 6th Grader 

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P.O. - 6th Grader

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K.A. - 6th Grader 

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H.T. - 6th Grader

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G.H. - 6th Grader 

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D.M.T - 6th Grader 

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D.T. - 6th Grader 

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C.V. - 6th Grader 

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Meslin, Tay, Troy, Christian (underaged so only his voice is included), and Dalilah share some quick thoughts on their experiences attending a charter high school, and their distaste for certain aspects of life for charter school students.

Many of them have attended charters since they were in elementary school.

Here are their thoughts...

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Kamya's Story

Kamya is an 11th Grader that attends a Charter High School in Brooklyn. Fun Fact About Kamya - She is an incredible artist! I'm hoping that we can get her to apply to some art schools next year!

She was provided with several questions about her experiences as a charter school student, and decided that rather than being interviewed she would type out her answers - which can be found below.

Question 1: How long have you been attending charter schools?

Kamya: I’ve been attending charter school since 5th grade

Question 2: Does anyone else in your family attend charter schools?

Kamya: No, im the only one in my family that unfortunately attending charter school 🥹

Question 3: Why did your family make the choice to send you to a charter instead of a public school?

Kamya: Well they said that a charter school would help me more than a public school bc public schools don’t really care about the students education

Question 4: How does attending a charter school make you feel?

Kamya: Attending charter schools have actually helped me more but I don’t really like it bc of how strict the rules are-

Question 5: What is the best part of attending a charter school?

Kamya: I honestly don’t think there is a best part of attending charter schools

Question 6: What is the worst part of attending a charter school?

Kamya: The worse part is that most of the time the school won’t do anything if ur like being targeted by people in the school they won’t do anything and that’s gonna start making students feel unsafe

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Teana's Story

Teana is an 11th Grader that attends a Charter High School in Brooklyn. Fun Fact about Teana - she is a hairstylist and an incredible braider on top of being a high school student.

She was provided with several questions about her experiences as a charter school student, and decided that rather than being interviewed she would type out her answers - which can be found below.

Additionally, Teana has dyslexia, so writing and reading can be a little challenging. I am extremely proud of the progress that she has made throughout this year and in order to honor her authorial voice, I have decided to upload her answers almost entirely unedited.

Question 1: How long have you been attending charter schools?

Teana: I've been attending a charter schools almost 7 years school year

Question 2: Does anyone else in your family attend charter schools?

Teana: My sister and brother my brother is in the 8th grade he attending [redacted] charter school and my sister is graduating this year from [redacted] Charter High School

Question 3: Why did your family make the choice to send you to a charter instead of a public school?

Teana: My parents sent me to a charter school because they wanted me to get more help with my work and make sure I get as much support that I need

Question 4: How does attending a charter school make you feel?

Teana: Attending a charter school makes me feel good because I can’t get the help that I need with my work but the environment itself is very toxic it’s very easy for your energy to get drained very quickly.

Question 5: What is the best part of attending a charter school?

Teana: The best part of attending a charter school is the help that you would get from some of your teachers and they would be by your side if anything happens

Question 6: What is the worst part of attending a charter school?

Teana: The worst thing about a charter school is that they treat us like children most times and I don’t understand how they are trying to prepare us for college if they don’t treat us like adults.

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Star is a SpEd student at a Charter School in Brooklyn. She shares her insights about charter schools through her first hand experiences. She also speaks about how they have benefited her throughout her educational journey, and how her relationship with certain teachers have impacted her experiences.

If you listen closely you’ll hear Star’s best friend throwing in her own version of events in relation to Star’s story.

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“Charter school advocates say they offer much-needed choice to parents and kids in poor neighborhoods with failing public schools, where many African-American and Hispanic students often lag white counterparts in wealthier districts by three or four grade levels.” - Excerpt from The Week Article “Grading Charter Schools” by The Week Staff

Ms. F’s Thoughts: Charter schools proudly boast about their standardized test scores, college matriculation rates, and other accolades - But what happens after graduation? For many of the low income black and brown students that graduate from charter schools the college environment comes as a culture shock. Unfortunately they then are not able to graduate and receive their diploma. 

In part, I believe that it is because charter schools coddle their students. They essentially hold their hands throughout the entire educational process turning children into standardized testing robots, that then become young adults who struggle with being self reliant and independent. This happens in the form of unethical curves to boost overall grades, teachers chasing down students and families so they can complete missing work, or constant academic intervention to push unprepared kids through to the next grade (I have witnessed ALL of these with my own eyes)- in essence there is always a safety, and thus there is no failure. 

The video above addresses the second part of why students struggle to make it through college.

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Charter high schools largely serving low-income, first-generation, Black and Hispanic students have long boasted of the comparatively high proportions of their students who graduate and go to college. But as these schools and their alumni grow older, charters also are looking at their rates of degree attainment, which remain lower than they’d like. In response, several leading charter networks, including Achievement First, Bright Star Schools, Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), Summit Public Schools, and Uncommon Schools, have been expanding two key aspects of their high-school programs to promote alumni success on campus: detailed data tracking and analysis, and hands-on counseling and support. First, a relatively new source of data is showing high schools how well their graduates do after they leave. The National Student Clearinghouse’s Student Tracker reports whether and where graduates enroll, attend, and complete college. This information is helping charters find and address shortcomings in the way they prepare high-school students for postsecondary success.

Excerpt from Education Next Article “Charter Schools Go to College” by Jon Marcus

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NYC Charter School Facts 

Ms. F’s Thoughts: Charter School curriculum is often incredibly rigorous and has the added benefit of being completely free; from my own experiences I know that the current 6th grade history curriculum at Success Academy, features the same topics and standards that students in public high schools are learning about. Additionally, students in 7th and 8th grade at Success Academy will be required to pass regents exams in all core subjects to move on to the next grade.

As a result certain charter schools outperform district schools by a wide margin. Charter schools provide an incredible opportunity for students from disenfranchised groups (black and brown students, immigrant families from lower income backgrounds) to level the playing field and close the achievement gap.

(Data Source: New York City Charter School Center)