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School Climate & Safety Opinion

Public Prep: A Public School With A Private Feel

By Alexander Russo — July 23, 2007 1 min read
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So far, at least, most charter schools have focused on serving low-income kids and ensuring that they learn basic skills. That’s where the biggest need is. Now some folks are thinking about starting charter schools of a different kind -- aimed at a more elite educational model: private schools. It’s happening already in a fancy park of Brooklyn (2 Park Slope Fathers Dream Big NY Sun), and I can’t imagine it not happening elsewhere.* And, I’m not sure there’s anything wrong with it. Like a magnet school or G&T program, it brings private school parents back into the public system (or keeps them there). At the same time, it brings private school ideas into the public school testing ground, where they may flourish or fail. Either way, an interesting development.

*The only example I know of is LA’s private school Crossroads spinning off into New Roads and then Camino Nuevo charter.

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