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Study: Charter schools boost English-language learner rolls

Date Published: October 19, 2016

Author: Kathleen McKiernan, Boston Herald

Charter schools have increasingly enrolled more English-language learners, shattering an argument from the No on 2 campaign that charters don’t serve the same populations, a new report from the Pioneer Institute finds.

While in 2009 Boston charters enrolled only 2 percent of students who were still learning the English language compared with the district’s 19 percent, the enrollment jumped after a state law mandated district schools share families’ mailing addresses and required charters to provide recruitment and retention plans with the state.

Enrollment in city charters is now 14 percent compared with 30 percent in the public school system, the study found.

“The mailing lists gave charters an effective means of recruiting English-language learners,” said Cara Candal, who co-authored the Pioneer report with Ken Ardon. “And the recruitment plans provide a way to hold charter schools accountable for enrolling more English-language learners.”

Boston charter school leaders told the Herald they have been steadily increasing their enrollment numbers to gain parity with the district.

“We and all the charter school leaders I know are in this to serve communities who are historically underserved,” said Owen Stearns, executive director of Excel Academy.

“There is still a gap, but we have closed the gap significantly,” he said.

Steve Crawford, spokesman for the No on 2 campaign, slammed the study, arguing that charters continue to “fall well short” of district schools and that the 2010 law shows that there has been a “problem with charter schools throughout history.”

Also yesterday, state Sen. Michael J. Rodrigues and Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone clashed over the proposed ballot question during a lively half-hour debate on Boston Herald Radio’s “Morning Meeting” show.

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