Even as he battles economic woes at home and security threats abroad, President Barack Obama is advancing a bold strategy for improving the nation’s schools. His new budget aims to recast Washington’s role in education, shedding the regulatory minutiae of the No Child Left Behind Act put in place by George W. Bush. Instead, Obama is banking on economic incentives to alter t (...)
Article
A Gamble
Can Charter Schools Fix Public Education?
The remainder of this article is only available to paid subscribers. If you’re not currently a Commonweal subscriber in print or online, an online-only subscription costs just $34 a year. Click here for immediate access.
I think we are afraid to truly analyze the charter school data and use some measures other than just student test scores. Some have shown great promise in just encouraging kids to stay in school and in raising the level of parental involvement. Their focus is certainly a good thing and it seems improbable that there are not many other intangible outcomes that need to come to light. I am afraid that charters end up being damned by faint praise.