Archive for May, 2011

20 May

Gulen charter schools conspiracy does not seem to decelerate Magnolia Schools | Busting Gulen charter schools myths

Posted by iamaparent in Charter schools, Education, Gulen charter schools, Jealous bloggers, Magnolia Science Academy, Pacific Technology School, STEM Education, Success. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

On one side is the commitment and enthusiasm to improve quality of education in our state, while fabricated attempts to tag some public institutions as Gulen charter schools take place on the other… As a responsible parent, I’ve decided to look closer into what really is going on. In a nutshell, here is what I found in my humble research:

It’s been almost two decades, a sufficient time, for education officials and the California public throughout their experience of utilizing charter schools to further education outcomes. California, a leading state in charter schools, appears to be satisfied with the upshot so far. As nicely put by a report of the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office of the California State Legislature, “…statewide evaluations of charter schools in California have concluded that they are meeting original legislative intent—expanding families’ choices, encouraging parental involvement, increasing teacher satisfaction, and raising academic achievement, particularly for certain groups of disadvantaged students…”

What is more, charter schools are uplifting pupils in their educational experience, not only in California but all over the country. 99% of all elementary students in charter schools were included in a nationwide study by Caroline Hoxby of Harvard University, who has found that a higher percentage of students in established charter schools are judged proficient on the state reading and math examinations than their peers in the nearest traditional public school.

Magnolia Schools First Year’s API Score 2010 API
MSA1 in Reseda 636 800
MSA2 in Valley 703 745
MSA3 in Carson 742 777
MSA4 in Venice 747 753
MSA5 in Hollywood 814 847
MSA6 in Palms 1st data in 2010 842
MSA in San Diego 739 818
PTS in Orangevale 1st data in 2010 825
PTS in Santa Ana 1st data in 2010 852

Supporting these findings by their exemplary achievements, Magnolia teachers and administrators make every effort to advance student learning, as the Academic Performance Index (API) scores available on the California Department of Education Website suggest.

This data is another confirmation that the charter school movement is an innovative initiative that helps our struggling public education heal and revive. Had these schools were not doing any better than the public schools they neighbor, they would have been closed long before by the overseeing agencies.

Magnolia charter schools have broken new grounds not only in California, but also throughout the ranks of charter schools across the country. If you’ve read one of the earlier posts in this blog, titled “Why shouldn’t you take Gulen charter schools labeling campaign seriously”, then you probably already know that Magnolia had received a silver medal degree nationwide. But did you know that they have had a world champion as well? One member of the gold-medal winning U.S. National Team at the 2006 International Mathematical Olympiad was a student of Magnolia schools, being the first student from a charter school ever to represent the United States in the competition.

These accomplishments, however, are neglected in the equation, when ideological arguments are raised. As a recent and unfortunate example, “Gulen charter schools” phrase is trying to be spread around for the purposes of disinformation in order to mislead the public. Further scrutiny on what these people mean by associating Magnolia charter schools with the made-up Gulen charter schools term would prove that Magnolia schools, although already being held accountable with their performance, selectively face unreasonable claims regarding their operations.

No matter what these unsubstantiated arguments allege, overwhelming crystal clear data prove just the opposite. I hope with the support of the communities they serve, Magnolia Schools will continue to focus on academic excellence, despite the cacophony lauded by the ill-intentioned.

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18 May

Videos on Gulen charter schools – 2 | Busting Gulen charter schools myths

Posted by Admin in Charter schools, Education, Gulen charter schools, Jealous bloggers, Magnolia Science Academy, Videos. Tagged: , , , .

I had promised to share some videos on Gulen charter schools in an earlier post. Looks like Magnolia is not alone facing baseless “Gulen charter schools” attacks. Check how “informed” those people are.

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11 May

Why you shouldn’t take the ‘Gulen charter schools’ labeling campaign seriously | Busting Gulen charter schools myths

Posted by iamaparent in Charter schools, Diversity, Education, Gulen charter schools, Jealous bloggers, Magnolia Science Academy, School activities, Success. Tagged: , , , .

“…what has held the American people together, in the absence of a common ethnic origin has been precisely a common adherence to ideals of democracy and human rights…” (pg. 124), says Schlesinger, in his award-winning book: The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a Multicultural Society.

Along with the devotion to democracy and human rights, the richness and texture of the American society which comprises many different backgrounds, customs, virtues, rituals, holidays, and cuisines is something to be proud of (pg. 123). We simply welcome each and every tradition, and this openness to diversity is something invaluable that strengthens our unique American identity.

Historically, much has been written on the infamous ‘American melting pot’. All and all, I could never imagine writing on this topic too, let alone its ‘connection’ with Gulen charter schools – a recently invented concept flourishing on the Internet. Allow me briefly explain how our giant ‘salad bowl’ relates to this purported Gulen charter schools notion:

In such a country where last names do not matter at all, I’m having hard time to understand individuals that are blatantly attacking to Magnolia Public Schools just because of the minor presence of the international staff. Do they think that they could defame our nationally recognized public charter schools by labeling them as Gulen charter schools? I don’t know what they aim, but I know one thing for sure: This is not an American mindset that wholeheartedly welcomes differences and celebrates diversity.

I’ve heard from the grapevine that there are quite a few rumors on who this tiny bunch of people indeed might be. Some suggest that these people belong to a small extremist portion of Armenian Diaspora; some believe they are ultra-nationalist and/or pro-communist Turks both in and out Turkey where it is a popular trend to blame Gulen for almost anything going on.

Digging a little deeper to understand what really is going on, one may find out that these bloggers eye everything related to Magnolia with profound suspicion – to the extent of discrimination. Bloggers see almost everyone who might allegedly have heard of Gulen as a potential threat as well. It is interesting how they at this point are in parallel with some groups in Turkey, who speak in defense of a clandestine organization known as Ergenekon. Their negative and one-sided stories portray a treacherous image of people running charter schools as if they had some sort of hidden agenda.

Actually, it is possible to test the credibility of their comments by exploring where they were published, the authors’ competence (if any), the interest groups they are connected to, the agendas of those groups, etc. Such inquiries might offer a healthier assessment of these allegations. As funny as it could be, these fictitious Gulen charter schools claims happen to appear almost everywhere off-topic. No surprise if one comes across to pieces of texts on Gulen charter schools on various platforms: from Craigslist ads to online technology forums, from ‘article farms’ to hardware instruction manuals, etc. I even remember seeing a posting about Gulen charter schools under one of the Bollywood film reviews!

But why is all this spamming effort going on? This ideological agenda aims to push some fear and curiosity into academic and educational circles but, naturally, it is not seen as an objective and reliable source. Long story short, these blogs are bogus. They usually choose to quote other blogs which rely on other similar blogs that relate to other blogs that also lack a single trace of evidence as a resource. On Twitter, for example, the very same folks both attack to current Turkish government in Turkish and the so-called Gulen charter schools in English at the same time, and the arguments they present give the impression that they receive the help of sources of disinformation in Turkey. At various instances, allegations highly contradict depending on the audience, although they stem from the same origin.

Anyways, the essence of all this is that it is necessary to avoid exaggerating everything written on the cyberspace. There is really nothing to be taken seriously about these blogs/bloggers and the like in their labeling of Gulen charter schools. No matter what they keep posting around, Magnolia Public Schools keep increasing their API scores via closely overseen academic/non-academic activities, determined to bring the better to our school communities.

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6 May

Charter Schools 101 & Gulen Charter Schools | Busting Gulen charter schools myths

Posted by iamaparent in Charter schools, Education, Gulen charter schools, Jealous bloggers, Magnolia Science Academy, Success, Teachers, Testimonials. Tagged: , .

In case you are not familiar with the definition of a charter school, the following information might be helpful:

Charter schools are independent public schools with rigorous curriculum programs and unique educational approaches. In exchange for operational freedom and flexibility, charter schools are subject to higher levels of accountability than traditional public schools. Charter schools, which are tuition-free and open to all students, offer quality and choice in the public education system. (California Charter Schools Association Website)

Starting with such a description may seem weird for some of the readers of these lines. No matter how clear and concise the definition, there are still individuals who act as if they were unaware of the explanation above.

Charter schools improve pupil learning, increase learning opportunities..Charter schools improve pupil learning, increase learning opportunities, and encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods by providing parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system.

Benefits of this school choice include, but are not limited to, providing vigorous competition within the public school system to stimulate continual improvements in all public, creating new professional opportunities for teachers, and so on.

Alas! Who cares? Some interest groups keep ignoring these benefits which contribute to not only underserved communities but also overall quality of public education system throughout the nation. The words I have underlined above in the beginning address the majority of their concerns, yet sadly enough, ideologies are intended to substitute facts at times.

I believe, what Magnolia Public Schools face these days is no different. It seems some folks around the Web have launched a defamation campaign based on the perceived fears of their target audience. They claim that Turkish-Americans are spreading “Islamic fundamentalism” via charter schools they have established, or that these schools simply serve as Trojan horses. Coming up with a mysterious term such as Gulen charter schools, they plan to create a buzz around the web to create some confusion among the parents and decision makers.

However, they miss a critical point charter schools are held accountable for meeting measurable student performance, and are under strict supervision by local and state authorities. Would these institutions that regularly oversee these schools, not be aware of any such wrongdoing, if any, that these bloggers discovered? Of course not!

Liars anticipating to manipulate the public opinion will soon fade, and lies being tossed around the Internet will not add up to a single piece of truth. Out of 4911 charter schools serving some 1.6 million students nationwide, 912 serve a diverse student body of more than 365,000 students in California. Magnolia joins the effort with its nationally recognized success and reputation. Just one example of the success out of many to give you an idea: Based on the Advanced Placement (AP) Test results of graduates, Magnolia Science Academy got silver level in the nation.

For that reason, my final words go to the dedicated staff and administrators who work around the clock to help our kids discover their potential within and flourish: Do not be distracted with various vicious attempts to label you as outlaws, Gulen charter schools, or whatever. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

More on this topic will follow…

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2 May

We’re excited about our new school | Busting Gulen charter schools myths

Posted by prosparent in Charter schools, Diversity, Education, Gulen charter schools, Pacific Technology School, Teachers, Testimonials. Tagged: , , , , , .

In my previous post, I had talked about searching a school for my son, and the “Gulen charter schools” allegations regarding a candidate school: Pacific Technology School - Santa Ana (PTS), which we ended up to enroll for the next school year.

As a parent, I was so much irritated with those blogs and I had decided to voice my opinion. The main effort as you would remember, was to label the school as ‘Gulen charter schools‘.

This is indeed funny!

First of all, PTS is a state-approved charter school and is following a curriculum in accordance with California standards. It is being audited regularly like every other charter school in the US. Had there been any sort of illegal activity, it would have been known to the public a long time ago. That’s why I’m very appreciative of the comments by former Secretary of Education Kerry Mazzoni on ‘Gulen charter schools‘.

Secondly, as claimed in those blogs, it may be the case that some of the teachers are originally from Turkey. I do not see any problem with that. Being a foreign-born citizen in a public institution is not unusual in this country. Even our former governor was from Austria. I do not judge my son’s teachers based on their ethnicity, but for the quality of the education they offer, work ethics and how helpful they are in my child’s academic progress.

My wife and I are hearing positive feedback regarding PTS and we’re hoping to see our son flourish at this school. I’ll recommend PTS to anyone who is seeking a school somewhere around Santa Ana.

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