Charter Schools vs. District Schools
Thursday, August 27th, 2009 By Beth Lear
The fight continues between public charter schools and public district schools, and it always seems to start with the unions throwing the first punch. Yesterday’s Gongwer Report provided some detailed information about the state report cards, and the teachers’ union acted as though they had body slammed their charter “opponents”. Let’s consider some facts the district schools and union cronies don’t want you to think about:
- While unions tout the fact that they have fewer failing schools, they fail to mention that charter school laws are working exactly as planned – the 16 failing charter schools will close at the end of this year. Will Youngstown City Schools close as well?
- Are academics the only reason parents takes their children out of district schools? No – a big reason is safety. The district schools can’t touch the charters on safety. Body slam for the charters.
- Former State Board of Education member Colleen Grady believes the new Value Added measurement is skewed to make district schools look better. Many charter schools use a better method – scan tron. Why don’t district schools use it? Because it measures teacher quality, and unions will have none of that.
- Contrary to the myths being perpetrated by teacher unions, charter schools do not get the best students – they get the students who are failing in district schools or are being bullied, many of them special needs students. So those whose parents don’t care or who are succeeding stay in the districts. In spite of that, the overwhelming majority of charter students, new and old, are making substantive learning gains.
Who is really benefitting from public charter schools? Parents and students! Students have safer environments with schools that are more accountable because parents can take their students out and charter schools can be closed. Who’s keeping the district schools accountable – surely not the teachers’ unions. I’d give the win to parents, students, charters and taxpayers.
August 31st, 2009 at 9:35 pm
And let’s hear at least two cheers for increased supervision of charters. The original law allowed for failing charters to continue forever. There was also a lot of outright fraud (lying about enrollment numbers, simply taking the money and running…). That first law was the charter schools’ worst enemy. Notice how the posting here brags about how the failing charters are closing… this is only because of accountability thrust upon charters. Nowadays it’s the Obama Administration insisting that charter schools are part of the solution–quite a change from the earlier, Wild West days of charter schools.