In a dramatic show of White House support, President Obama’s education czar will visit a Brooklyn charter school Tuesday to help persuade the foot-dragging state Assembly to lift the cap on the number of charters, The Post has learned.
The timing of Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s trip is significant since New York has just two weeks to revamp its charter-school law ahead of the June 1 deadline for the state to submit its application for $700 million in federal education funds.
“I hope the Legislature will do the right thing by children,” Duncan told The Post yesterday.
Sending a message to Albany lawmakers, Duncan, joined by Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, will be touring the Kings Collegiate Charter School, where 98 percent of fifth-graders and 100 percent of sixth-graders passed the state standardized math exam last year.
He also will visit PS 65, The Little Red School House, a well-regarded traditional public school.
Duncan said he was thrilled that the state Senate last week passed a bill to increase the number of charter schools statewide to 460 from 200.
He praised Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson, of Brooklyn, whom Duncan met this week in Washington.
“I appreciate the leadership and courage Senator Sampson showed on the charter-school issue,” Duncan said.
“We need more great schools in this country,” he said. “We need more great traditional schools. We need more great charter schools. I hope the adults can do the right thing by children.”
Obama and Duncan are staunch supporters of charter schools — publicly funded, privately managed schools that typically have a longer school day and school year than traditional public schools.
Duncan is putting his political muscle behind charters as Gov. Paterson, state lawmakers and education officials scramble to put together an application to obtain up to $700 million in federal “Race to the Top” funds.
New York failed to win funding during the first round because its proposal failed to lift the charter-school cap and didn’t include a provision linking teacher evaluations to student performances on state exams.
State educational officials and teacher-union officials reached an agreement this week on designing a more rigorous teacher-evaluation system.
Kings Collegiate Charter School
1084 Lenox Road, Brooklyn
* Founded in 2007
* Part of Uncommon Charter School Network
* Currently serves 205 students in Grades 5 through 7
* Will gradually expand to 450 students
Results:
2009 Math Exam Results
Grade 5
* 98% met standards
Grade 6
* 100% met standards
2009 English Language
Arts exam
Grade 5
* 74% met standards
Grade 6
* 96% met standards