John Oliver on Charter Schools: A Supplement

John Oliver's piece last night on charter schools is getting a good bit of attention in the education policy bloggosphere:



I may have some more to say about it later, but I thought some of you might enjoy some further reading about some of the issues Oliver brought up.

- Pitbull and Charter Schools:

Charter Schools, Pitbull, & Money, Money, Money

Make Big Money Building Charter Schools: Joe Bruno Shows You How!

Pitbull Speech at Ntl Charter Schools Convention - The Remix (this remains a personal favorite if only because it was one time I let my snark run truly free)

- KIPP and its "Success" in Context:

The KIPP Propaganda Machine and Its Willing Saps In the Media

The Public School "Jewels" The Media Ignores

Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part II (skip to the "KIPP" section)

And it's worth pointing out once again that KIPP, no matter what you think about their "successes," is a tiny part of the entire charter sector:

- The CREDO Studies (which Oliver cites to claim charters and public schools are about even in performance):

Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part II (skip to "CREDO" section). This is how charter effects, as reported in the CREDO studies, compare to the effects of economic inequality:

- What You Need To Know About the NJ Charter School Study (applies to all CREDO studies)

- General Charter School Myth Busting: 

Reformy Myth Busting, 2016 Edition

- Florida Charters:

Miami-Dade's Charters Don't Serve the Same Students

Are Miami-Dade's Charter Schools Really "Impressive"?

Does DFER Support Pitbull-Zulueta Values? (Click through the link in the post for the Miami Herald's terrific series "Cashing In On Kids")

-Why Pennsylvania's Charter System Is Such a Mess:

The Selling Out of Camden's Schools: Part I (yes, this does concern PA -- trust me, and read Part II)

- Why John Kasich's "Pizza Shoppe" Analogy Makes No Sense:

Democracy, Markets, & Charter Schools: Part I

- Charter Schools and the Profit Motive:

The Business of Charter Schooling: Understanding the Policies that Charter Operators Use for Financial Benefit (Bruce Baker & Gary Miron)

- Virtual Charters:

Virtual Cronies

K12 Inc Comes Clean: "Reform" Is All About the $

Again, I may have some more to say about Oliver's piece, which I thought was good if necessarily incomplete. Until then, see you at the pizza shoppe.

More pepperoni, please.