Support of Charter Schools Grows

A nice article about Georgia improving its charter school legislation -- and KIPP South Fulton, which is kicking butt in Atlanta:

This week, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a bill putting his stamp-of-approval on charter schools. The number of charter schools nationwide grew by 11 percent last year.

At KIPP South Fulton Academy, the 8th graders have been practicing chants they'll perform at their upcoming graduation ceremony. Meaningful, uplifting songs are a hallmark of the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) schools nationwide.

KIPP South Fulton started in 2003 with the current 8th graders starting as 5th graders.

"Of our 38 graduating 8th graders, 20 them took the End of Course Test for algebra, which is normally a ninth grade test, every single one of them passed the test and all but two exceeded standards," shares Marina Volanakis, Principal, KIPP South Fulton Academy.

On the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT), the 8th grade students had a 100 percent passing rate on both math and social studies tests, 97 percent in Reading/Language Arts and 95 percent in science.

"Our 8th graders have earned a total of about $185,000 in scholarship dollars for next year," explained Volanakis.

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Support of Charter Schools Grows http://www.11alive.com/printarticle.aspx?storyid=97579 Report: Teacher Attrition in Charter Schools This week, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a bill putting his stamp-of-approval on charter schools. The number of charter schools nationwide grew by 11 percent last year.