Extend Charter Schools

Five years ago, Vaughn Street Elementary School was a mess. Teachers bickered, parents felt left out and students suffered. Test scores languished near the bottom of the Los Angeles Unified School District with second-grade reading scores in the fifth percentile. But in the five years since Vaughn became the district’s first charter school--and renamed itself the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center--attendance has improved and test scores have edged mostly up as teachers cooperate and parents take a bigger role in the education of their children.

By all accounts, the experiment at Vaughn has succeeded, although not as dramatically as boosters promised five years ago. Nonetheless, the school deserves to have its special status extended another five years when the school board considers Vaughn--and four other charter campuses--later this month. Charter schools enjoy exemption from some district and state rules and procedures, giving faculty, administrators and parents more control over budgeting and curriculum.

Under the direction of Principal Yvonne Chan, freedom at Vaughn has resulted in a campus with 14 new classrooms, a school year that’s 11% longer than the state standard, plenty of computers and an enviable pot of cash--nearly $4 million--in the bank. Between 1991 and 1996, fourth-grade English reading scores jumped from the 11th percentile to the 36th, on par with the district average and noticeably better than nearby schools. In two-thirds of Vaughn’s classes, scores have risen on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills and the Spanish-language equivalent, Aprenda.

Impressive as the gains are, they fall short of the ambitious promises made by Chan and other supporters when they initially applied for charter status. They shot for 15- to 20-point gains on standardized tests, improved English fluency for students and greater parental involvement. But not every class has hit those goals. Between 1991 and 1995, first-grade reading scores on the Aprenda dropped 10 points. Some teachers and parents privately accuse Chan of running the school in an autocratic manner.

Even so, the Vaughn experiment provides real hope for troubled schools. It demonstrates the gains that can only be accomplished when teachers, administrators and parents work together toward a common goal. That Vaughn is the kind of place talented teachers want to work is shown by the fact that only seven teachers quit this year to return to their jobs within the district. Teachers were required to take a leave of absence when the Vaughn experiment began. Now they must either return to the district or face the loss of seniority and lifetime health benefits. Nineteen teachers elected to quit the district and stay at Vaughn.

To end the experiment now would be premature. Charter schools allow innovation not possible in the rigorously programmed LAUSD. For instance, Chan proposes tying teacher pay to student performance. Efforts like that can take years to blossom. At Vaughn, the first buds of success are evident and it’s far too early to nip them.