Good day, CharterFolk.
I start with a last chance to vote for your favorite Contributor Columns of the year.
We’re down to ten finalists.
We cut off the voting at midnight on Thursday. Thanks to all of you who have voted. Cool to see the numbers going up!
Meanwhile, the eyes of the world are on Los Angeles right now.
As this plays out, I draw attention to the exodus that is happening from the city’s schools.
Evidence is mounting that immigration crackdowns are only going to accelerate enrollment declines in LA and elsewhere.
Some have been fearing the possibility of a similar exodus from higher ed.
Word breaks this morning that apparently those students can say.
The under-reported side of the story is the degree to which our public higher ed institutions are financially dependent upon foreign students paying higher tuition.
With the newly approved increase, out of state tuition at UCs will be over $37,000 higher than in-state tuition.
No wonder California was so worried about losing 50,000 Chinese students.
All told, over 140,000 international students attend universities in California.
Meanwhile, across the country familiar public education stories continue to play out.
This year we’ve seen 6% charter school enrollment growth in North Carolina, taking the total number of students served to more than 153,000.
That’s up 35,000 since the beginning of the decade.
Nashville still keeps trying to slow down charter school growth …
… demonstrating why it was so necessary that the legislature open up new pathways for charter schools to go straight to the state.
And in Massachusetts, all the discussion is about whether trade schools should be able to keep their selective admissions.
It’s not a problem that is unique to Massachusetts, as Mike Petrilli has been writing about.
Think of that.
Voc programs – schools meant to provide opportunity to students who get screened out of routes to college – themselves screen out kids.
The state board narrowed the range of criteria the voc schools can use, but the Dem controlled legislature is considering measures that would let the schools keep on screening just like they always have.
Kicking out some kids from other countries.
Letting others stay.
Keeping kids in and out of better opportunities.
It points to the core competency of public education in the United States.
Sorting.