CER Letter to the Editor

CHARTER SCHOOLS DO WORK
By Jeanne Allen
An edited version of the below appeared in the Washington Post, October 25, 2000

Dear Editor:

        Charter schools do work. But buried in the column of the article "Growing Federal Role is Only Area of Accord" (10/25/00) by Ken Cooper comparing candidates' approaches to education is a casual statement that suggests there is evidence to the contrary.

        The reporter bases this statement on a non-research based report issued by charter opponents at the National School Boards Association. They looked at available literature and selected those where various researchers found no evidence of progress. They ignored more than 40 studies that found positive effects of charter schools, student achievement, waiting lists, innovation and more.

        A report such as the one that damns charter schools shouldn't be taken as fact, as it was in the Post article. It shows shoddy reporting more than anything else. The reality is that more than half a million children and families are participating by choice in charter schools, and those families overwhelmingly represent minorities and disadvantaged children who are normally the last to get a good education.

        As for charter school closures, which the article also suggests is higher than normal in Texas, the facts show otherwise. The rate is the same in Texas as in the rest of the nation: 4 percent. The higher rate cited in the article includes schools that were granted charters in Texas but never actually opened. The 4% represents charters that have opened but were then closed because they failed to fulfill their mission. Rather than an indictment of charter schools, this is one of their strengths. That schools not doing well can be closed is a lesson that should be learned in public education as a whole.

Sincerely,
Jeanne Allen
President, The Center for Education Reform

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See also: NSBA CHARTER SCHOOL REPORT FULL OF HOLES, By Jeanne Allen, October 12, 2000.

And: What the Research Says About Charter Schools 2000, CER Action Paper, November 2000.

The Center for Education Reform [CER] is a national, independent, non-profit advocacy organization providing support and guidance to individuals, community and civic groups, policymakers and others who are working to bring fundamental reforms to their schools. For additional information on education reform please call CER at (202) 822-9000.

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