The Albany Times Union today reported (here) on yesterday's vote by the SUNY Charter Schools Committee to close New Covenant Charter School at school year's end. This is likely to be reaffirmed and made final by the full SUNY Board next month.

TU education reporter, Scott Waldman, has done excellent, fair-minded reporting on the situation surrounding New Covenant, including capturing the personal and emotional impact of its pending closure on the families connected to the school.

Waldman also characterized New Covenant's likely closure as a "symbolic hit to the state's entire charter school movement." On this point, he is not only way off; in fact, the opposite is more the truth.

The closure of a low-performing charter school--or any public school--after sufficient opportunity and time for self-correction, is a symbol of accountability and a display that high standards are taken seriously. Failure to hold public schools accountable for quality education symbolizes a lack of seriousness and a tolerance for shoddiness and low expectations by adults toward children who deserve better.

Notwithstanding New Covenant's recent success and climb from its previous depths, this school for most of its 11 years has, in fact, been a test case of what a charter school should not be. The SUNY Board of Trustees gave this school too many chances and too many admonitions that were not followed through - until yesterday.

Lessons Learned from New Covenant
The persistent problems for New Covenant have been lessons learned for SUNY as an authorizer and for charter school operators throughout Albany and statewide. Though SUNY couldn't bring itself for years to hold New Covenant properly accountable for what can only be described as a blind spot, it has held other schools accountable. Back in 1999, the mistakes made in the approval and opening of New Covenant--that is, it opened too quickly and too large--were subequently corrected. After 2000, SUNY never again allowed for either mistake to be made with charter school proposals. In addition, for years, Edison Schools, Inc. managed New Covenant and several other charters in New York. Today, Edison manages only one school, Harriet Tubman in the Bronx, and has no prospects for more charters in New York any time soon.

There is no joy in witnessing or implementing a school closure. But they must occur not for symbolic reasons, but to enforce real accountability and ensure that quality education and higher student achievement are met and sustained by the adults entrusted with this sacred responsibility.

Peter Murphy
for The Chalkboard
(see me Twitter @ PeterMurphy26 &
get "Chalkboard Nycsa" on Facebook)