While much is broke about our educational system, charter schools, as currently operated, will do little to fix the structural problems. Rather, they will respond to market pressures in way start maximize their profit, which does not necessarily equate to improving the educational system.
Charter schools go a good deal of the way towards fixing the structural problems of public education by putting the power of organizational life and death in the hands of parents. If enough parents are dissatisfied with a particular charter school that charter school will close. You think maybe the prospect of having to close their doors will get the attention of charter operators? I think so and for those charter operators who can't be bothered with parental concerns being forced to close their doors solves the problem as well. The charter school has no power to compel attendance so exists because parents are satisfied that their kids are safe and getting an education.
As for the moral evil of "maximizing their profit" the charge takes on a somewhat less damning aspect when compared to the grotesque and cruel way in which many district schools fail the children they're supposed to be educating.
For example, charter schools do not want to operate on the basis of providing an appropriate education to everyone within their district - they want to be free to pick and chose who can attend - essentially cherry picking the most capable / least problematic students. What happens to the others? Who now pays for the kid that needs a para-pro for feeding during the school year?Who tells the school they have to accept someone and allow them to attend unit the are 21? More to the point - what happens to those the charter school doesn't accept?
Nice try but charter schools are in every way public schools which means, unlike magnet schools which are district schools, charters cannot be selective. It's a widely promulgated falsehood but it is a falsehood.
Also, being public schools federal funding which is available for the education of problematic kids is available to charters
We really don't value teachers. We expect them to deal with all sorts of social and behavioral issues with students *and* the students to *achieve* and then blame the teachers when that happens. Is it any wonder teachers leave as soon as they can? Or that, in areas where their skills are more marketable working for a private company - they bolt at the first chance they get? Try hiring a math or science teacher in a lot of districts - and see how many people you get when they can make 2x in a private company and not have to deal with a bunch of students and parents every day. Sure, there are bad teachers - but there are plenty more who care about the kids and do whatever they can to help; but at some point they have to decide if it is really worth it.
We value teachers. It's the public education system that doesn't value teachers as can be seen in the fact that good teachers receive compensation no different from bad teachers. The public education system doesn't differentiate between good and bad teachers and, in fact, resists attempts to measure differences in teaching skill. A further item of evidence to prove the indifference of the district-based public education system to teaching skill is the fact that it required state law to force districts to hire teachers who've received special training to deal with kids with serious problems. Previous to the passage of such law mandating properly-trained teachers any warm body with a teaching certificate could be stuck in a special education classroom. And were.
Accountability is great - many teachers would love real accountability - but what they get instead is parents who say "What are you going to do about my kid who is failing math? It's not *his* or *her* fault she skips school, never turns in assignments, and is drugged out when they are here." i've even had college professors tell me they get kids who call Mommy and Daddy during a meeting because *they* aren't getting an A and what Mommy and Daddy to tell the prof to give them an A. Until we realize teachers are one small part of the solution it isn't going to get fixed.
No, many teachers are afraid of accountability since they've never had to live up to any standards but their own, if they have any. Remember, teaching skill doesn't matter in and to the public education system. Care to guess what sort of teachers that situation selects for?
I'd say - make the charter school splay by the same rules - take all comers, make all legally required accommodations (and get sued when a parent doesn't like what you did" and let them charge no more than what the voucher is worth - and reduce their payment based on scores. Let them take over an entire district - and see who long they last on vouchers and a population that can vote on how much to give them and vote themselves out of paying if they want.
You really don't know much about this issue, do you? Charters schools are one reform of the public education system and vouchers are another, and unrelated, reform.
Until the fundamental issues are fixed, all we are doing is creating a few pockets of success that rally have no relevance to the overall solution. Of course, it's easier to point to the system and say it's broke than it is to really try to fix it; which is why most politicians simply pick a favorite solution an push it.
I don't believe you've actually helf forth on what those fundamental issues might be. But since I've seen your like before I'll help out.
Those fundamental issues are the large income disparity in this country. They're also subtle, institutional racism and the facts that kids are either on drugs or not. Another fundamental issue is that parents aren't concerned enough when they're not making a nuisance of themselves by demanding that their kid get an "A". Dreadfully inadequate funding is also a fundamental problem since it's simply impossible to properly education kids for the pittance of $10,000 per year. That's the average per student funding last year up from the year before and up, well, every year since forever.
By the way, when a billionaire like Gates starts to become aware of what a busted promise the public education system has become you know the end's got to be in sight.