New Bedford Mayor Flip-Flops on Charter Support
The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted New Bedford’s fight over the expansion of a highly successful Southcoast charter public school, Alma del Mar. In the last few months, New Bedford’s mayor Jon Mitchell has channeled his inner, vengeful Captain Ahab to vocally rally charter school opposition among his city’s educational special interest groups (here, here, and here). But as this 2016 video from New Bedford local access cable demonstrates, not long ago Mayor Mitchell was singing a very different tune as he gushed about Alma del Mar charter and the school’s outstanding leader Will Gardner at this charter school’s ribbon cutting ceremony.
Video: Pioneer Senior Fellow Cara Stillings Candal on the Fight for Alma del Mar
Dr. Cara Stillings Candal, author of “The Fight for the Best Charter Public Schools in the Nation,” discusses the value that Alma del Mar brings to the New Bedford community, the political and special interests opposing its efforts to expand, and the reasons why the school deserves public support.
Dr. Cara Stillings Candal, author of “The Fight for the Best Charter Public Schools in the Nation,” discusses the value that Alma del Mar brings to the New Bedford community, the political and special interests opposing its efforts to expand, and the reasons why the school deserves public support.
In struggling New Bedford, Mass., the Alma del Mar charter faces opposition to its expansion plan.
By Tunku Varadarajan
Ivyanna, Moises, Jenielys, Giselly. The names on the bulletin board of a kindergarten classroom reveal the notably Hispanic demographics of Alma del Mar, a K-8 charter public school in this blighted city that was once America’s foremost whaling port. In fact, the majority of the school’s kindergarten is comprised of students whose first language is Spanish. By the time they get to first or second grade, many will speak better English than their parents. Read more.
Video: Setting a High Bar at Alma del Mar
Pioneer visited Alma del Mar Charter Public School, a K-8 school in New Bedford, Massachusetts, that is using a high-demand, high-support model to help all of its young scholars and teachers meet and exceed expectations for academic performance and behavior. In this video, you’ll hear from Kaitlin Goldrick, Principal; Taylor DeLoach, Dean of Culture; and Xiomara Palmieri, Lead Kindergarten Teacher, about the specific student supports and teaching requirements that contribute to their success.
Op-ed: New Bedford pols fail kids with opposition to charter expansion
Op-ed: A Whale Of An Education Battle Rocks New Bedford
New Book: The Fight for the Best Charter Public Schools in the Nation
Pioneer Institute’s new book, The Fight for the Best Charter Public Schools in the Nation, draws on data and interviews with education policymakers and school leaders to trace the history of charter schools and document the stellar academic outcomes that they help students achieve. Massachusetts has the best-performing charter public schools in the country, but the sector is also among the nation’s slowest growing, hampered by state laws and regulations that limit their expansion and inhibit new models from being created in the lowest-performing school districts. In her new book, Pioneer Senior Fellow Cara Stillings Candal presents lessons learned from Massachusetts’ experience with charter schools. Information about the book can be found here: https://pioneerinstitute.org/bestchartersbook/
Read book coverage in several news outlets:
The 74 Million: “Author of ‘The Fight for the Best Charter Public Schools in the Nation’ Talks Confronting Hard Truths About Growing Massachusetts Charters”
Read an op-ed by Dr. Candal in EducationNext:
“The Fight for the Best Charter Schools in the Country: What Massachusetts Got Right and Wrong”
Podcasts & Radio:
EdNext: “How did Massachusetts charter schools become the best in the country?”
CommonWealth magazine’s The Codcast: “Charter school lesson plans”
Bloomberg Baystate: “Markets, Charter Schools, The Game (Radio)”
Pacific Research Institute: Dr. Cara Stillings Candal – The Fight for the Nation’s Best Charter Schools
