| The most important methodology of the school: > Like many charter schools in New York City, the Promise Academy has an extended
school day and year, with coordinated after-school tutoring and additional classes on Saturdays
for children who need remediation in mathematics and English Language Arts skills. Our rough
estimate is that Promise Academy students that are behind grade level are in school for twice as
many hours as a traditional public school student in New York City. Students who are at or
above grade level still attend the equivalent of about fifty percent more school in a calendar year. The students are working twice as hard as others and attend remediation classes. Other inputs: > The schools provide free medical, dental and mental-health services (students are
screened upon entry and receive regular check-ups through a partnership with the Children’s
Health Fund), student incentives for achievement, nutritious cafeteria meals, support for parents
in the form of food baskets, meals, bus fare, and so forth, and less tangible benefits such as the
support of a committed staff. The schools also make a concerted effort to change the culture of
achievement, emphasizing the importance of hard work in achieving success. These inputs are claimed as characteristics of a "high quality school" in the abstract: > We conclude with evidence that suggests
high-quality schools are enough to significantly increase academic achievement among the poor. "High quality schools" (high quality meaning high test scores) generally do not fund many of these services for their students. What the study demonstrates are characteristics of schools that can help underprivileged children with less than adequate familial support. This is an argument in favor of segregation. These services can only scale and be cost effective if a large portion of the students will use the services. This would not be cost effective if the majority of the school was not underprivileged. |