Post by Moses on Jul 17, 2005 18:17:10 GMT -5
Religious schools in bid for charters in Chicago
At the Mighty God Christian Academy in Chicago's South Deering neighborhood, children are taught about the Bible and religious values.
Now the private school's founder wants to open a charter school in Chicago next year, which could become one of the city's first public schools backed by a religious entity.
If the school district and the Illinois State Board of Education approve her plan, Rev. Geri Carter says Bible classes won't be part of the daily lesson.
"That's not our motive, that's not our goal--to teach religion," Carter said. "Yes, we are believers but we are not trying to indoctrinate."
Carter is part of a growing group of faith-based organizations interested in delving into the secular realm of public schools. And the practice is perfectly legal--as long as religious instruction is kept out of the classroom, regulators said.
In Chicago, the burgeoning movement has been spurred by Mayor Richard Daley's Renaissance 2010 initiative to open up 100 new schools in six years. Chicago schools chef Arne Duncan, Daley's devout disciple of giving parents creative options in public education, is wooing successful religious schools to apply.
At least three Chicago-based religious organizations, including Carter's, said they plan to submit formal proposals for new schools by the district's Aug. 19 deadline.
"It's not that difficult to keep the dividing line between church and state," Duncan said. "To me, it's fairly simple as long as you are not proselytizing religion. They can teach morals, character."
Many educators say religious organizations can be a valuable asset because they already have a presence in the community.
"The fact that you are a religious person doesn't bar you from public life," said Greg Richmond, the former head of the Chicago district's New Schools Development Office.
Richmond, now executive director of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, said it would be beneficial to include religious leaders in conversations about new schools.
"We are seeing more activity in the country along the lines of turning to religious leaders to get involved in starting schools. It's becoming more common. Five or 10 years ago there was not much dialogue across this divide, which I think was unfortunate because those folks have a lot to offer."
But others are wary.
"I think we have real concerns about religious entities becoming involved in public education," said Ed Yohnka, communications director for the Illinois American Civil Liberties Union. "Especially without knowing or being able to tell precisely what kinds of protections--what kinds of guards--will be put in place to make sure public funds are not utilized for religious education."
ACLU keeps watch
The ACLU filed suit in 1998 on behalf of several parents alleging that a Michigan charter school was teaching creationism, holding prayer services and distributing religious materials. When the school changed its curriculum, the suit was dropped.
Because charter schools are funded by taxpayers, they must meet the same accountability standards as traditional public schools. But they are not bound by restrictions on class size, teacher certification and the school calendar.
Potential operators also must submit a financial plan. While each school receives per-pupil funding from the state and the school district, charters often rely on fundraisers.
In Illinois, charter schools are given a five-year contract, with annual evaluations. Charters can be revoked at the end of that period based on poor test scores, low graduation rates and other factors.
All charters must be backed by a non-profit organization to oversee its operations. Illinois education officials suggest potential school operators create an organization that is not religious in nature.
"We would have to get assurances that there would be no religion as a part of the curriculum, or woven into the curriculum," said Jo Ann Price, a consultant for the state board who reviews charter applications. "They could be very subtle about it. We just don't want religion to sneak into the school."
The general counsel for the school district says curriculum is carefully examined in proposals for new charter schools, regardless of the organization backing the school.
"We would look at all of the schools in the same way," said Patrick Rocks, who heads the law department for Chicago schools. He added that having religious instruction in the classroom "runs afoul of the Charter Schools Act," and would be an issue.
Both Carter and her son, who is working on the new school proposal, said they will follow the law.
Doing God's will
"We understand as Christians that there is a separation between church and state, but you don't have to be behind a pulpit to do God's will," said Carter's son, Syanard Carter.
The mother and son team are hoping to open a small school at Calumet High School in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood called REACH, an acronym for Reviving Excellence through Academics and Comprehensive Harmony. Rev. Carter said she would hire teachers with similar values.
"Basically, this country was founded on Christian principles," Carter said. "Of course I believe in the Lord and the will of God, but we do not impose [our beliefs on others.]"
Andrew Rotherham, the director of education policy for the Progressive Policy Institute, points to a document released in 2000 by former President Bill Clinton that outlined guidelines on how religious organizations could become involved in charter schools.
"I think there is both promise and peril," Rotherham said. "It has the potential to push boundaries in the good sense, in terms of bringing additional leverage to bear on a particular social problem, but it also has the potential in a negative sense of crossing important church-state boundaries. What's key is that there is active oversight and monitoring."
The notion that traditional public schools don't wrestle with this issue is misleading, however, Rotherham said. In some regions of the country, particularly the South, there is a fair amount of religious activity at school, he said. [Rotherham himself is a religious NUT and some say a member of a secret religious society-- he was brought in as director of PPL under Lieberman -- some say Hillary-- and is pal of Bennet et al. He has supported all right wing AEI-type educational "reforms".]
Cecilia Mowatt knows some will be skeptical of San Miguel Schools' commitment to offering a non-religious education.
But Mowatt says she wants to educate more children in one of the most underserved areas in the city. The private Christian school, with campuses in the Austin and Back of the Yards neighborhoods, wants to open a public school in Austin.
San Miguel Schools educators have shown they can turn around problem students and motivate underachievers to excel, she said.
"It's not about the religion, it's about the relationship that we have with our students," said Mowatt, a consultant heading up the design team. "It starts from the foundation of having a low teacher-student ratio, focused and individualized attention and students recognizing that the teachers care about them."
The prestigious Providence-St. Mel School, a private kindergarten-12th Grade non-denominational Christian school on the West Side, also wants to open up an elementary school at the former Bunche Elementary School in the West Englewood neighborhood.
The college-prep school was closed in 1978 by the Archdiocese of Chicago. But its principal, parents and students fought to keep it open and now it runs independently of the archdiocese.
acholo@tribune.com
— Ana Beatriz Cholo
Chicago Tribune
2005-07-15
At the Mighty God Christian Academy in Chicago's South Deering neighborhood, children are taught about the Bible and religious values.
Now the private school's founder wants to open a charter school in Chicago next year, which could become one of the city's first public schools backed by a religious entity.
If the school district and the Illinois State Board of Education approve her plan, Rev. Geri Carter says Bible classes won't be part of the daily lesson.
"That's not our motive, that's not our goal--to teach religion," Carter said. "Yes, we are believers but we are not trying to indoctrinate."
Carter is part of a growing group of faith-based organizations interested in delving into the secular realm of public schools. And the practice is perfectly legal--as long as religious instruction is kept out of the classroom, regulators said.
In Chicago, the burgeoning movement has been spurred by Mayor Richard Daley's Renaissance 2010 initiative to open up 100 new schools in six years. Chicago schools chef Arne Duncan, Daley's devout disciple of giving parents creative options in public education, is wooing successful religious schools to apply.
At least three Chicago-based religious organizations, including Carter's, said they plan to submit formal proposals for new schools by the district's Aug. 19 deadline.
"It's not that difficult to keep the dividing line between church and state," Duncan said. "To me, it's fairly simple as long as you are not proselytizing religion. They can teach morals, character."
Many educators say religious organizations can be a valuable asset because they already have a presence in the community.
"The fact that you are a religious person doesn't bar you from public life," said Greg Richmond, the former head of the Chicago district's New Schools Development Office.
Richmond, now executive director of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, said it would be beneficial to include religious leaders in conversations about new schools.
"We are seeing more activity in the country along the lines of turning to religious leaders to get involved in starting schools. It's becoming more common. Five or 10 years ago there was not much dialogue across this divide, which I think was unfortunate because those folks have a lot to offer."
But others are wary.
"I think we have real concerns about religious entities becoming involved in public education," said Ed Yohnka, communications director for the Illinois American Civil Liberties Union. "Especially without knowing or being able to tell precisely what kinds of protections--what kinds of guards--will be put in place to make sure public funds are not utilized for religious education."
ACLU keeps watch
The ACLU filed suit in 1998 on behalf of several parents alleging that a Michigan charter school was teaching creationism, holding prayer services and distributing religious materials. When the school changed its curriculum, the suit was dropped.
Because charter schools are funded by taxpayers, they must meet the same accountability standards as traditional public schools. But they are not bound by restrictions on class size, teacher certification and the school calendar.
Potential operators also must submit a financial plan. While each school receives per-pupil funding from the state and the school district, charters often rely on fundraisers.
In Illinois, charter schools are given a five-year contract, with annual evaluations. Charters can be revoked at the end of that period based on poor test scores, low graduation rates and other factors.
All charters must be backed by a non-profit organization to oversee its operations. Illinois education officials suggest potential school operators create an organization that is not religious in nature.
"We would have to get assurances that there would be no religion as a part of the curriculum, or woven into the curriculum," said Jo Ann Price, a consultant for the state board who reviews charter applications. "They could be very subtle about it. We just don't want religion to sneak into the school."
The general counsel for the school district says curriculum is carefully examined in proposals for new charter schools, regardless of the organization backing the school.
"We would look at all of the schools in the same way," said Patrick Rocks, who heads the law department for Chicago schools. He added that having religious instruction in the classroom "runs afoul of the Charter Schools Act," and would be an issue.
Both Carter and her son, who is working on the new school proposal, said they will follow the law.
Doing God's will
"We understand as Christians that there is a separation between church and state, but you don't have to be behind a pulpit to do God's will," said Carter's son, Syanard Carter.
The mother and son team are hoping to open a small school at Calumet High School in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood called REACH, an acronym for Reviving Excellence through Academics and Comprehensive Harmony. Rev. Carter said she would hire teachers with similar values.
"Basically, this country was founded on Christian principles," Carter said. "Of course I believe in the Lord and the will of God, but we do not impose [our beliefs on others.]"
Andrew Rotherham, the director of education policy for the Progressive Policy Institute, points to a document released in 2000 by former President Bill Clinton that outlined guidelines on how religious organizations could become involved in charter schools.
"I think there is both promise and peril," Rotherham said. "It has the potential to push boundaries in the good sense, in terms of bringing additional leverage to bear on a particular social problem, but it also has the potential in a negative sense of crossing important church-state boundaries. What's key is that there is active oversight and monitoring."
The notion that traditional public schools don't wrestle with this issue is misleading, however, Rotherham said. In some regions of the country, particularly the South, there is a fair amount of religious activity at school, he said. [Rotherham himself is a religious NUT and some say a member of a secret religious society-- he was brought in as director of PPL under Lieberman -- some say Hillary-- and is pal of Bennet et al. He has supported all right wing AEI-type educational "reforms".]
Cecilia Mowatt knows some will be skeptical of San Miguel Schools' commitment to offering a non-religious education.
But Mowatt says she wants to educate more children in one of the most underserved areas in the city. The private Christian school, with campuses in the Austin and Back of the Yards neighborhoods, wants to open a public school in Austin.
San Miguel Schools educators have shown they can turn around problem students and motivate underachievers to excel, she said.
"It's not about the religion, it's about the relationship that we have with our students," said Mowatt, a consultant heading up the design team. "It starts from the foundation of having a low teacher-student ratio, focused and individualized attention and students recognizing that the teachers care about them."
The prestigious Providence-St. Mel School, a private kindergarten-12th Grade non-denominational Christian school on the West Side, also wants to open up an elementary school at the former Bunche Elementary School in the West Englewood neighborhood.
The college-prep school was closed in 1978 by the Archdiocese of Chicago. But its principal, parents and students fought to keep it open and now it runs independently of the archdiocese.
acholo@tribune.com
— Ana Beatriz Cholo
Chicago Tribune
2005-07-15