The state-funded charter schools' enrollment includes many children from low-income families. According to Chalkbeat, Carpe Diem offered $100 gift cards to persons who provided student referrals to help the school boost its enrollment 40 students by February. That was in addition to money the school spent marketing itself through open houses, distributing fliers to parents and day care centers and TV and radio appearances. Critics are concerned the referral fees lead parents to make less than rational choices when choosing the school to send their children. Echols was unapologetic about the incentives paid for referrals.
People are more excited to do something where they get something out of it,” Echols said. “Parents are like, ‘Oh I do have a cousin that was looking for a school.’ It’s just to encourage people.”
But she said she is confident offering a gift card wasn’t the reason the school ultimately exceeded its enrollment goals. Two more Carpe Diem campuses are slated to open this fall in Indianapolis, each aiming to eventually enroll 300 students. Carpe Diem combines traditional classroom instruction with online lessons.
“We are a blended learning school and that’s what parents love about it,” Echols said. “We have children coming from everywhere, not because of the gift cards, but because we’re offering something different. We are filling a niche.”Read the rest of the story at Chalkbeat by clicking here.
What a surprise.
ReplyDeleteThe bought-and-paid-for election of tenured Democrat hack Mary Ann Sullivan, LaNier Echols, and Kelly Bentley ushers in an era where big business takes away the financial resources available to the working poor under the a$$hat guise of it all being "for the children".
Uh, why the heck do our Marion County tax dollars go to IPS with these corporate schools popping up all over town?
I come to the reality that what liberal Democrats actually support is "increased income for the upper middle class liberals" running these shows and who really care very little whether low income children succeed or not. We see liberal Democrats like Mary Ann Sullivan again champion the wealthy corporatists under the false banner of " doing for the poor under-educated."
Referral fees for federal grease...
ReplyDeletethis is nothing more than a small bribe
ReplyDeleteI live in Hamilton County and I want to know why my children do not have charter schools available to them. Is it against the law for these corporate owned for-profit schools to open in the suburbs? Why can't people like me in Hamilton County have school choice like the parents of IPS students? If charter schools are the best then why can't Hamilton County allow any to open for my children too?
ReplyDeleteSome of your Hamilton County schools are as good as any elite private school you could choose to send your child if you could. Charter schools aren't opening in Hamilton County because the education profiteers don't see a demand for them there.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gary. My family left Marion County for Carmel in the 1970's... I can attest that you are absolutely correct.
ReplyDeleteThe one problem Carmel has is the gargantuan oversized high school on Main St.... a decision to retin only one HS for sports trophies. That was a humongously poor decision as education at the CHS is not what it used to be; many parents find their children are "falling through the cracks"... not all HS age kids can easily cope with a campus so impersonal and huge. Carmelites who can afford it are now sending their high school age to Catholic Guerin High on Carey Road.
Anon 1:32 here with corrections... (1) a decision to RETAIN (not "retin") and (2) the Catholic Guerin High School is just north of East 146th Street on Gray Road (not Carey Rd.)...
ReplyDelete