Green Dot school resolutions

Green Dot schools have become some of the highest profile charter schools in Los Angeles.

Times education reporter Howard Blume says one reason is that the schools are doing well compared with nearby public schools. Another is Green's Dot ubiquitous public-relations machine.

Take a look at Green Dot's newsletter, which includes some ambitious challenges. One item might appear UN-ambitious to some impatient reformers.

Green Dot pledges that each of its schools will score 800 on the state's Academic Performance Index by its eighth year. That seems like a long time to some, especially when a school would score 875 if all of its students scored as "proficient" on state tests.

And how long can one child wait? Officials such as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and school board President Monica Garcia have suggested that complete school turnarounds can and should happen quickly, perhaps within two to three years.

On the other hand, many low-performing regular public schools have given no statistical indication that they will ever get to 800. And veteran educators accept that it takes years to reverse decades of low academic performance.

In case you're wondering, the index runs from 200 to 1000, and a student's scores can range from "far below basic" to "advanced." The state's target score for each school is at least 800.