Viewpoint: Perspective and Priorities in Education

By Matthew Carr, posted February 10, 2006

After casting a critical, and perhaps hypocritical, eye on charter schools, it's time for Ohioans to look at K-12 education as a whole.

Charter schools in Ohio have faced a level of scrutiny and criticism that has far exceeded anything their traditional public-school counterparts have faced in the past few years. Defenders of the status quo, such as the unions, have used every means to undermine the efforts of charter schools, and paint them as failures that are detrimental to the entire education system. In a recently released report, the Buckeye Institute dispelled the myth of charter schools' academic inferiority. Now it is time for a new perspective in the new year, and some new priorities for Ohio's education system.

For too long the defenders of the status quo in Ohio have been allowed to shine a spotlight on charter schools while remaining removed from scrutiny themselves. And there is much cause for scrutiny. While there are roughly 60,000 students in charter schools, there remain over 158,000 students in urban school buildings that are in the lowest two academic ratings, Academic Emergency and Academic Watch. Another 63,000 students are in traditional schools that only in the last year were upgraded from Academic Watch to the slightly better classification of Continuous Improvement. By focusing on a relatively few number of students in charter schools, we have truly been missing the forest for the trees.

The record of the large 8 urban districts has improved of late-but in large measure that's due to the recent relaxation of school rating standards. This sleight-of-hand maneuvering is one reason why our policymakers must return their focus to the traditional public school system. In the absence of continued scrutiny the traditional schools have been working hard to obscure their true performance through inflated performance ratings. As a result, they have successfully circumvented school choice programs and have disqualified their students from being eligible for school choice.

Despite meeting fewer academic standards over time, two major urban districts (Akron and Cincinnati) actually managed to improve their rating. Indeed, nearly every major urban district passed fewer standards in 2004-2005 than in the previous year. The only exception was Dayton, which passed the same number of standards in 2004-05 as it did in 2003-04: one. Ohio's citizens and policymakers alike should ask why school districts are being rewarded for poorer performance with better ratings.

In the past the debate over education reform has characterized schools of choice and the traditional public schools as locked in a zero-sum battle for students and tax dollars. This belief needs to be replaced by the more realistic understanding that the two systems are both part of the effort to bring a quality education to Ohio's students. Tearing down charter schools will not make the traditional system any better off. Instead, it will allow a return to the status quo of ever increasing funding buying stagnant student achievement.

The first step in improving our education system this coming year will be to fix our focus on the continued and unabated failure of our urban schools. The time has come to demand that they improve, and to place our policy efforts back on ways to make sure they do.

The second step will be to embrace charter schools, both as a primary component of reform and a proven mechanism for improving the performance of students in and outside traditional public schools. Improving the public schools will require the expansion of charter schools, not their restriction.

The final step that we need to take in this new year is to recognize that the goal of the education debate in Ohio should be to improve the education system so that more of our students can lead successful and fulfilling lives. That should be our focus and that is where all of our efforts should be directed. Every education policy should be student-centered. Anything less is an abdication of our responsibility and commitment for providing the best possible education to all of Ohio's students.

*Schools are given one of five designations. In descending order of performance, they are: excellent, effective, continuous improvement, academic watch, and academic emergency.