The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

Founder and CEO Chris Barbic Applauds HISD Efforts to Reform

December 27, 2010 by Chris Barbic

In “HISD charter schools can compete with the best," Terry Grier, superintendent of schools for HISD, pointed out why charters exist — to provide choice — and shared insights on the success of HISD’s own charter school programs. As CEO and founder of YES Prep Public Schools, a charter school system currently serving more than 4,000 low-income students and on track to serve 10,000 in the next several years, we couldn’t agree more with Grier’s enthusiasm for highlighting charter school initiatives.

Charter schools provide educational leaders the flexibility to address parent and student needs. Reflecting on successful HISD charters, KIPP, YES Prep and Harmony, it is clear that charter schools exist to provide great choices to students and families across Houston. We as a community should be very proud that Houston is often viewed as a focal point nationally for our high performing charters driving broader education reform.

But let’s keep our eye on the prize. Currently, a sixth-grader in Houston has a one-in-10 chance of finishing a four-year college. Ultimately, this dialogue needs to be about results and not a debate about who has the best charter schools. It should be about getting kids to and through college and preparing them to compete. YES Prep requires its seniors to gain acceptance to a four-year college in order to graduate, and our kids have been admitted to four-year colleges across the city, state and nation — from Rice to Texas A&M to Harvard. A college-educated workforce will catapult Houston and our nation forward for generations to come. And for many first-generation college students in our area, charter school leaders can use their autonomy to create a school culture that supports the academic and social components of school necessary to make college graduation a reality.

As one of the nation’s leading charter school systems, we applaud HISD for embracing what we at YES Prep call our “whatever it takes” philosophy in getting students through college. School choices are not only for parents and students. For all of us, future economic success lies in approaching education in new ways. Take the time to learn about all the educational options that are available in Houston, but more importantly, support the ones that will transform the current reality of 10 percent of our sixth-graders finishing college and lead us as a city in finding smart solutions for generations to come.
 

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