Rep. Kiley Claims Newsom's 'Years-Long War' Against Charter Schools

Alarming Decline in Student Performance

• 📉 The latest national report card shows alarming results in math, reading, and civics, with 12th-grade math scores at their lowest ever.
• ⚠️ 45% of students now lack basic math skills, and nearly half cannot apply simple percentages to real-world problems.
• 📊 Reading scores are also at their worst, with over 32% of 12th graders scoring below proficient.
• ⏳ This negative trend in core subjects began before COVID-19 and has continued, with only a third of 12th graders ready for college-level math.

Success Academy's Extraordinary Results

• 🌟 Success Academy, a network of nearly 60 charter schools in New York, demonstrates a stark contrast to national trends.
• 🎓 100% of their high school students passed at least one AP exam, compared to a national high of 33% in Massachusetts.
• 🎯 Demographically, 76% of Success Academy students come from economically disadvantaged homes, yet they outperform state and national averages significantly.
• 📈 If Success Academy were its own district, it would be the highest-ranking in New York State, with exceptional performance in math and reading for Black and Hispanic students.
• 🏫 Every Success Academy high school graduate has been accepted to a four-year college, many to highly selective institutions.

A Culture of High Expectations

• 💡 Kiley highlights the rigorous, evidence-based teaching and a culture of high expectations at Success Academy, including teaching chess from kindergarten.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents are eager to enroll their children, with 16,000 families applying for 3,200 lottery spots last year.
• 🚀 The environment fosters student engagement, enthusiasm, and attentiveness, with passionate teachers.

Political Obstacles to Charter School Expansion

• 🚫 Despite these successes, politicians in New York have capped the number of charter schools, and in California, Governor Newsom and the supermajority are accused of waging a 'years-long war' against charter schools.
• ⚖️ This involves making it harder for charter schools to start and easier for them to be shut down.
• ❓ Kiley poses the urgent question of how to replicate the success of charter networks like Success Academy in schools across America.
• 🛠️ He emphasizes the need to adopt best practices and ensure accountability for failing educational systems.