Learning from Charter Schools

Part one of a Journal editorial two-parter suggests that we have something to learn from charter school successes.

There is some evidence that charter schools are doing better than public schools in meeting some objective goals.

From personal experience; I would suggest wariness about jumping on the existing charter school model bandwagon; and I am a supporter of charter schools. I have advocated allowing all schools to become charter schools in important aspects of their existence.

But it is a very complex dynamic. It would be a mistake to simply jump on the current charter school model and assume guaranteed success.

I would posit that the working component of charter schools, is autonomy; the movement toward site based management. While getting a few schools out from under the thumb of central office is a step in the right direction; it is only a step.

The schools that will succeed are the schools with real site based management; where every stakeholder feels fully involved and respected in the decision making process.

That goal does not require breaking from the APS in the sense that all of our charter schools have had to break so far; requiring new building space and a whole bunch of other unnecessary and punitive hurdles.

The leadership of the APS just needs to move real decision making power and resources down to schools as they are, and where they are.

Those are the aspects of charterdom that actually bear the fruit.

Those are the only circumstances that actually encourage the formation of synergies among students, parents, educators and administrators.