Finally, mayors have unparalleled resources and a unique position from which to build a charter initiative. They have an extensive staff with expertise in everything from law and finance to public relations and legislative affairs. Mayors have access to their city’s (and often the nation’s) best education experts. They operate the apparatus of city government, including agencies that can help (or hinder) new public schools, from parks and libraries to permits and zoning. Mayors typically control facilities or financing for facilities.
Most importantly, they are the only elected officials accountable for the health of entire cities. They have experience delivering and monitoring a wide range of services to their constituents, and are able to mobilize their cities’ resources to create high quality educational options for youth. And, because voters hold them accountable for the quality of life in their city, mayors might as well truly be engaged with improving education.
The results in Indianapolis make clear that the “mayor as charter school authorizer” model has great potential to have a direct, positive impact on student learning. Mayor-sponsored charter schools often serve the most disadvantaged student populations in Indianapolis, including high school students at risk of dropping out and students facing severe learning challenges because of poverty and inadequate early education. These students tend to start out behind their peers: in Indianapolis only 26 percent of charter third-graders in Mayor-sponsored schools passed the state assessment exam upon entry in 2002, compared with 44 percent in the Indianapolis Public Schools. Those students in Mayor-sponsored charter schools have made much stronger gains over time. On average, charter school classes improved their pass rates by 22 points between 2003 and 2005.
The larger student population has benefited as well, as the Mayor’s charter school initiative has served as a catalyst for local districts that have also established new innovative schools and taken other steps to offer new opportunities to the children of Indianapolis. In fact, in Indianapolis, school districts are actually organizing charter schools and applying to Mayor Peterson for charters. They understand that the Mayor’s rigor and quality and especially his accountability system are powerful tools.
