Test scores drove charter decision

But yesterday, Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, another critic, appeared together to officially unveil a proposal to effectively double the number of charter schools in the state’s worst-performing districts.

Standing by their side was President Obama’s education secretary, Arne Duncan, who well may be credited with moving the charter school movement forward in Massachusetts after years of dissension, using stimulus money as the carrot. Duncan and Obama are threatening to exclude states that do not expand charter schools from more than $4 billion in federal funding.

“Politically speaking, leaving money on the table is not a good idea,’’ said Jim Stergios, executive director of the Pioneer Institute, a supporter of charter schools.

Patrick denied that the Obama administration had any influence on his change in position, saying that he was instead swayed by the persistently bad test scores coming out of several school districts.

“I love our president and our administration, but I make up my own mind,’’ Patrick said.

Menino, on the other hand, said in an interview yesterday that Duncan’s strong push for more charter schools, which could better position the city for more federal aid, played a key role in shifting his view, which differs somewhat from Patrick’s. Menino wants the city to control new charter schools in Boston, rather than having the state oversee them.

“I would like to apply for that money,’’ said Menino, adding that those dollars “would be very handy in Boston.’’

Massachusetts is among a handful of states that have jumped onto the bandwagon in the months since the Obama administration first began its push for more charter schools. Both Illinois and Tennessee have decided to expand charter programs.

Charter schools can vary somewhat in structure from state to state. In some cases, states have direct oversight, while in other cases, the schools fall under the jurisdiction of local school districts. Generally, the schools have no teacher unions and operate under fewer regulations than traditional schools. The flexibility is intended to foster innovative teaching methods that could boost achievement.

In Massachusetts, most of the 62 charter schools operate independently, although a handful, including one in Boston, are part of a local district. The schools, created under the state’s 1993 Education Reform Act, have become a haven for students and parents fleeing bad schools. Several are top MCAS performers and boast graduating classes in which nearly all go to college.

The proposal would allow for addition of 27,000 new charter school seats in about 30 districts, which would ultimately double the capacity in those districts.

Duncan does not view charter schools as a panacea for the ills of urban education, where failing schools often flounder for years, losing generations of students. But he believes they hold great promise.

As head of Chicago’s school system, he saw firsthand how charter schools can bolster student achievement. Duncan, who had oversight of charter schools, said yesterday that he opened many, turned away more than 100 proposals he deemed weak, and shut down three because of academic failure.

“I’m not a fan of charters,’’ Duncan said. “I’m a fan of good charters.’’

Patrick, who enjoyed strong support from teachers unions during his gubernatorial run three years ago, initially resisted calls for more charter schools, which have been opposed by the unions and enmeshed in controversy over funding. Every student who leaves a district for a charter school takes with them a certain amount of state aid, creating a budget drain for some districts.

Instead, Patrick said he first wanted to test out a new kind of school, modeled after charter schools, that he hoped would mute the funding debate. These so-called readiness schools would function under the oversight of local school committees, rather than the state.

The governor is still pushing ahead with his readiness schools, but decided this winter he could no longer hold off on raising the limit on charter schools in the state’s worst districts. He came to the decision after reviewing test scores and graduation rates that showed a lingering achievement gap among various groups of students, said Paul Reville, the state’s secretary of education. Of particular concern are low achievement levels for black, Latino, low-income, and special education students, as well as those who are learning to speak English.

Just a few weeks after Patrick made his “red herring’’ comment, he included a modest increase in the charter school cap in his budget proposal. But it ultimately went nowhere. Yesterday, the governor unveiled a more radical proposal that enjoys support from charter advocates, but opposition from teacher unions and other educator groups. The Legislature will hold hearings on the bill and is likely to raise questions about how the schools are funded.

Duncan applauded the charter legislation yesterday, as well as the creation of the readiness schools, particularly Patrick’s plan to orchestrate a state takeover of some of the worst schools. He said the state could emerge as a national model for aggressive public education overhaul, fitting nicely with the state’s long tradition of having the highest academic standards nationally.

“You have a chance to make history in the next few years,’’ Duncan said.

But for many in Massachusetts, history was made yesterday.

“It really is quite stunning how quickly the stars have aligned here in Massachusetts,’’ said Paul Grogan, president of the Boston Foundation, a longtime supporter of charter schools. “It’s an amazing turnabout.’’