Sunday, September 03, 2006
Letter To The Editor Published In Washington Post
4 letters on charter schools appear in today's Close to Home Section of the newspaper. Here's mine:
Now that a quarter of all Washington public school students are enrolled in charters ["The Future of D.C. Public Schools: Traditional or Charter Education?" front page, Aug. 22] and some individuals are questioning whether all schools will eventually be independently run, it is important to keep five things in mind when reflecting on the District's educational landscape.
- Charter schools are start-up businesses. Because each has a unique mission and curriculum, they often experience a gigantic learning curve, not dissimilar to that of a new small company. I recently talked to a fellow charter school leader who told me that after five years his institution was still improving its teaching methods. He is not alone. Charters are still young in the history of a reform movement that is striving to innovate and help children catch up academically to grade level and beyond.
- Charter schools vary in quality. The business analogy applies here, too. It is impossible to make a blanket statement concerning all providers of a particular service.
- Competition for students is a healthy phenomenon. The central tenet behind school choice is that pressure from the threat of departing students will force all schools to improve. Unfortunately, experience has shown that traditional public schools lose about 25 percent of their students before they react. Fear of competition is exactly why D.C. School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey has called for a moratorium on new charters at this time.
- Failing charter schools are closed. Education malpractice has gone on in the District for years, yet not one traditional public school has been shuttered for poor performance. Charter schools face a level of accountability from their authorizing bodies that public institutions do not.
- One solution does not fit all. This has been a central problem with mainstream educational institutions. Students are presumed to learn the same way and at the same rate. But parents know this is not the case, and children who have struggled in their neighborhood schools have excelled in charters that distinctively fit their needs.
So far the great majority of Washington's charter schools have been able to provide a safe, accountable learning atmosphere for their students while enjoying enthusiastic public support. In the future, any achievements are possible.
PermaLink | 8:40 AM |
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Now that a quarter of all Washington public school students are enrolled in charters ["The Future of D.C. Public Schools: Traditional or Charter Education?" front page, Aug. 22] and some individuals are questioning whether all schools will eventually be independently run, it is important to keep five things in mind when reflecting on the District's educational landscape.
- Charter schools are start-up businesses. Because each has a unique mission and curriculum, they often experience a gigantic learning curve, not dissimilar to that of a new small company. I recently talked to a fellow charter school leader who told me that after five years his institution was still improving its teaching methods. He is not alone. Charters are still young in the history of a reform movement that is striving to innovate and help children catch up academically to grade level and beyond.
- Charter schools vary in quality. The business analogy applies here, too. It is impossible to make a blanket statement concerning all providers of a particular service.
- Competition for students is a healthy phenomenon. The central tenet behind school choice is that pressure from the threat of departing students will force all schools to improve. Unfortunately, experience has shown that traditional public schools lose about 25 percent of their students before they react. Fear of competition is exactly why D.C. School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey has called for a moratorium on new charters at this time.
- Failing charter schools are closed. Education malpractice has gone on in the District for years, yet not one traditional public school has been shuttered for poor performance. Charter schools face a level of accountability from their authorizing bodies that public institutions do not.
- One solution does not fit all. This has been a central problem with mainstream educational institutions. Students are presumed to learn the same way and at the same rate. But parents know this is not the case, and children who have struggled in their neighborhood schools have excelled in charters that distinctively fit their needs.
So far the great majority of Washington's charter schools have been able to provide a safe, accountable learning atmosphere for their students while enjoying enthusiastic public support. In the future, any achievements are possible.
PermaLink | 8:40 AM |
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