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The lottery results are out for this school. I had put in an application for my DD who is starting KG this year and she made it in the lottery. Now comes the hard part of making a decision. Our elementary is capped so any chances of returning next year if things don't work out are slim. Need to decide if 25 min drive to charter will be worth it over a 2 min drive to elementary.
As it is a new school, there is no data. There are also no information sessions scheduled.
I've been out of town and completely forgot about this. Just checked the website and it looks like my rising 4th grader made it. I didn't receive an e-mail or letter, so I'm not sure when I need to respond by (or to whom). How did you find out you made it in?
Need to decide if 25 min drive to charter will be worth it over a 2 min drive to elementary.
As it is a new school, there is no data. There are also no information sessions scheduled.
Hmmm . . . I was deeply curious about this school, so I visited their website. There really is no data. I can't believe that a new school with no information went to lottery admission. There was a lot of "TBA" and "approximately" this and that. Who will be teaching at the school? Who is the administrator(s)? Do the Board members have any experience in education? What classes are being offered? How will the school follow through with its mission? Do they follow a traditional or a block schedule?
Even without these answers, any charter school that uses an educational management organization makes me run in the other direction.
Hmmm . . . I was deeply curious about this school, so I visited their website. There really is no data. I can't believe that a new school with no information went to lottery admission. There was a lot of "TBA" and "approximately" this and that. Who will be teaching at the school? Who is the administrator(s)? Do the Board members have any experience in education? What classes are being offered? How will the school follow through with its mission? Do they follow a traditional or a block schedule?
Even without these answers, any charter school that uses an educational management organization makes me run in the other direction.
Just my $0.02.
It seems like most charters don't have that information when they hold their lottery the first year. And for those trying to get in to upper grades, the first year a school is open is the best chance you have of getting in. The Cary News reported that a principal has been hired.
Can you help me understand why an educational management organization is a bad thing? I would think that it would relieve the school personnel from having to deal with the operational aspects of running a school (vs. public where the school district helps, I think).
We also got a seat, wondering if it's a good choice to go since our base school is very good and capped now. Does anyone have additional info or any thoughts on the new charter?
I just spoke to an enrollment specialist who said families will be contacted no later than 4/18/14 and we'll have a week to decide. I am definitely considering this school since our base school leaves much to be desired. My son got a 3rd grade spot which is a critical year; I hope this school delivers.
Where did you get Waiting List info from? I though that they gave admission to everyone who applied.
No data and no information sessions is making the decision very difficult. Our base school is Alston Ridge which is currently capped. Returning to Alston Ridge if things don't go well at Cardinal would be hard.
They do have a WL for all the grades. I went to their lottery last Friday and got the info there. I agree that there is a lot of lack of info. Personally, I would stick to my base if it is good.
It seems like most charters don't have that information when they hold their lottery the first year. And for those trying to get in to upper grades, the first year a school is open is the best chance you have of getting in. The Cary News reported that a principal has been hired.
Can you help me understand why an educational management organization is a bad thing? I would think that it would relieve the school personnel from having to deal with the operational aspects of running a school (vs. public where the school district helps, I think).
Charters have a lottery when there are more applications than there are seats. It just baffles me that so many people apply to a school that only exists on paper.
There are some really great charter schools out there, but you need to do some research to find them. EMOs are bad, IMO, but others will disagree. When these companies are at the helm, those charters tend to be nothing more than "cookie cutter" schools. The mission statements are full of eduspeak and empty promises, like "project based learning, STEM, Arts, learning based outcomes," etc. Charter schools should have a compelling mission, and everything that comes out of the school should be guided by the mission. (A good example is Entrepreneur High School, where students learn a trade.) A charter school application that is full of buzzwords and gobbledygook scares me.
I encourage you to visit the NC Office of Charter Schools website, and read some of the charter school applications from the past year. Ask yourself if you see evidence that these schools will deliver what they say in their mission statements. (This goes for all of the applications, not just the ones run by EMOs.) You can see that some EMOs have submitted more than one application. These schools' applications are virtually identical, with just the name of the school changed where needed. The Boards of Directors tend to be made up of bankers, business owners, and real estate agents. I believe that educators, not fat wallets, should run a school. There is no evidence (IMO) that these schools know how to carry out their own mission. This is troubling to me.
A downside of not using an EMO is that school without EMOs will likely need to survive on less money. I would rather send my child to an outstanding school AND one where I knew exactly where the money was coming from.
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