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Teachers Union Misleads on Charter Schools
By Melanie Looney
Letter to the Editor, submitted to the Washington Post
Washington, D.C.
August 6,2002

        American Federation of Teachers president Sandy Feldman makes misleading claims about charter schools in the AFT’s monthly advertisement (Where we Stand) on August 6, 2002. Feldman, whose union opposes charter schools in most states because their contracts do not apply — was wrong on several counts.

        Let’s get a few basic facts straight. As of October 2001, there were 2,357 charter schools in operation in 34 states and DC with 77 additional schools scheduled to open. Since that time new charter schools have been approved and about 2,700 charter schools are expected to be operating in 37 states and DC this fall.

        Feldman’s report exaggerates the number of charter schools that have closed. Rather than one-tenth of charter schools having "collapsed and closed down," there are 154 schools out of 2,431 – or six percent – that, because they lacked financial solvency or a strong program, were closed. One can only wish we could say that about traditional public schools. Indeed one of the charter school concept’s strengths is that it requires success to stay in business. 

        But many of the schools were shut down because the states or local school boards did not allocate equal amounts of money or provide access to facilities. So, when you remove deliberate sabotage from the closures list, you find the numbers go down dramatically. Take the recent example from Illinois where the State Board of Education upheld a district's decision to revoke the charter of Governors State University Charter School -- one popular with parents, boasting a waiting list and a new $6 million facility. Academically, the school ranks among the top state charters and outperformed its district in test score averages. Despite its academic achievement, the school was closed because of a power struggle between the district and Governor's State.

        Finally, the AFT bases its claims on no valid nationwide comparison of charter school and public school achievement. Most evidence is still limited, but in at least 12 states, there is empirical data showing excellence coming from the majority of charter schools that have operated for a few years.

        Leaders of six national education organizations and others have dismissed the AFT report citing dozens of studies, empirical research, state and federal data and parent satisfaction. Parents and policymakers wanting to know more about the real story of charter schools in the last decade can visit the Charter School Library of our website.

See also Charter Leaders Dismiss AFT Report: Data Deliberately Skewed for AFT Gain.

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