Letters

To the Editor:

Your fawning report on Advantage Schools Inc.—and the company's claims that it is fostering a "revolution in urban education" with schools that focus on order, quality, and efficiency—contrasts sharply with the experience parents, students, and teachers are having in one of New York's first charter schools, which Advantage Inc. is running in Albany, N.Y., for the Urban League of Northeastern New York ( "Seeking a Competitive Advantage," Dec. 8, 1999).

Faced with a barrage of complaints, the New Covenant Charter School board of trustees has delivered an ultimatum to Advantage Inc. to shape up or ship out in the next two months. Parents and teachers have complained about inadequate staff, overcrowded classrooms, the mandated scripted lessons, and "a...