A charter school in downtown Fresno classified as low-performing could get another two years to show academic improvement under a recommendation by the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools office. It's the latest chapter in the troubled history of Kepler Neighborhood School, a TK-8 elementary school on Broadway Street. Three years...
Do Charter Schools Help or Hurt California Education?
Charter supporters, citing the need to overhaul public education, want to change how schools are run. Opponents argue that charters steer revenues away from traditional neighborhood schools, cherry-pick the best and brightest and can avoid employment and governance rules that school districts must follow. Charters, which the Legislature authorized in...
With Board's Blessing, Kepler Neighborhood School Stays Open
The educational mission of Kepler Neighborhood School continues. By a 4-1 vote Thursday, the Fresno County Board of Education granted the school’s appeal to continue operations for another three years. Last month, the Fresno Unified school board denied Kepler’s request for its charter renewal, based mainly on poor test scores....
It's Now Looking Good for Kepler Charter School
In a reversal of fortune, it appears that Kepler Neighborhood School in downtown Fresno will live to teach another day. Meanwhile, things aren't looking good for One & Only Academy proposed within Clovis Unified's boundaries. Fresno County Board of Education trustees will officially decide the fate of the two charter schools...
Poor Academic Performance Is Kepler Charter School's Undoing
The front page of a Fresno Unified fact-finding report bluntly lays out its recommendation: “Deny the Kepler Neighborhood School Charter Renewal Petition request. The charter school has not met the standards and criteria set forth in Education Code.” Fresno Unified trustees agreed with that finding Wednesday night, voting 5-2 not...