It means something that kids are excelling at many of the city’s independently run public schools, which overwhelmingly serve low-income blacks and Latinos. Overall, charters outpaced district-run schools. At 37 Success Academy schools, 98% of kids passed state math tests; 91% passed English tests.

With 47 schools and 17,000 scholars this year, the Success Academy network is now the size of the state’s seventh-largest school district and educates one in 60 New York City public school students. On this year’s state exams, 98% of Success scholars passed math and 91% passed ELA — making Success #1 for student achievement in New York State.

Success Academy Schools Founder Eva Moskowitz sat down with Errol Louis to talk about the school year ahead and her thoughts on the new Schools Chancellor.

On July 10, six Success parents filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that the DOE panel that handles special-ed cases in the South Bronx, known as the Committee on Special Education 1, routinely discriminates against Success Academy scholars and disproportionately deprives them of their right to an appropriate education. Liz Vandlik, a Success Academy principal, described how she wants CSE 1 to do its part to help this South Bronx community.

Replicating excellence is already the model of high-performing public charter networks like KIPP New York and Success Academies. They start with a couple of schools, deliver excellent results, and then build more of them. The results are unprecedented, particularly for the students who are low-income and students of color.

Mayor de Blasio hates the Success Academy charter schools so much that his minions are even taking it out on Success kids who need special education.

The ugly facts are laid out in a new suit the network just filed on behalf of six parents whose children were unfairly denied the extra help they’re legally entitled to.

Two days before signing a lease on a new apartment in Brooklyn, I heard that the administration of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was blocking the opening of Success Academy Lafayette Middle School. I had been planning to move from my home in Harlem to Brooklyn to teach English at this school.