Posted on 02/23/2017 6:44:55 PM PST by markomalley
By all accounts, MaST Community Charter School is a success.
The Philadelphia school opened in 1999, and eventually consolidated all its grades into an old steel factory on Byberry Road in the Far Northeast. The “MaST” in the school’s name stands for Math, Science and Technology, and it has been recognized as an excellent school on numerous occasions.
The school serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and even opened up a second school in September on Rising Sun Avenue in the old St. William’s school building in Lawncrest.
As such, people want to send their kids to MaST. And so there were almost 9,200 applications for the 2017–18 school year. MaST has room for just 96 kids.
MaST held its lottery last night. “The kids, it’s their place, so if there’s an idea they want to do here and we can make it happen, if we get that feedback, then we try to make it happen,” MaST CEO told Channel 6.
The only requirement for the MaST lottery is that you have to live in Philadelphia; anyone in the city may apply. There is a “sibling preference policy,” but otherwise it’s a complete lotto. Michael O’Brien, an alum of the school’s first graduating class who is also on the board, told Action News his kids did not get in.
The lottery for MaST II, the school in Lawncrest, will be held on March 7th at 4 p.m. in the Northeast Philly school building.
My wife’s old neighborhood.
But, but, but . . . there won’t be any standards! No supervision! It’s all about the money!
There is so much asininity going around on twitter about school choice. Simple common sense would tell you that choice and competition will only make the schools better.
But, they’re all union owned and operated.
Charter schools are very selective. They pick most of the students based on who is expected to succeed. Which is good, but the same methods will not work in the mass education market.
You can’t teach a kid with an 80 IQ and a messed up home life the same way you teach a kid with a 100 IQ and a stable family.
Is it Christian based?
This is such a shame that 10,000 parents are trying for a better education for their kids, and they have NO WHERE TO GO!!! Some of these parents NEED to group together possibly chip in for the cost of a tutor and homeschool their kids!!!!
This is a good opportunity for other Charter School vendors to become established. There is obviously a big market need for Charter Schools right now.
Open enrollment charters are strict lottery. That’s how my grand daughter got into hers.
but but but I am told off the media charter is bad, and no one wants them.
I don’t believe their teachers are unionized - and that is a HUGE difference. They either earn their pay or they get replaced.
In regular public schools, once a teachers if tenured (which only takes a couple of years) many are Retired On Active Duty. They have employment for life as long as they don’t commit any felonies on duty...regardless of whether or not the students learn a darned thing.
Here is a hint.
They are not a strict lottery in most cases. A pool of students are chosen first, and then the lottery happens. It is not random.
My sister lives in Chicago. They were told the price for winning the “lottery” was a $10,000 campaign donation to their alderman. Granted, it is Chicago, but most charter schools screen the students.
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