The concept of Charter Schools may be one of the most powerful and promising to emerge from the school reform movement of the past decade, and the lessons learned by City Academy should prove valuable for redefining educational roles and stimulating change in other public schools. Charter Schools provide a real mechanism for change by creating new kinds of schools within the public domain. With Charter Schools, policymakers trade regulations and direct administrative control for genuine innovation and measurable results as outlined in the charter contract. As one of the legislative authors, Minnesota state Representative Becky Kelso expresses it, "The gift of Charter Schools is the gift of freedom."
If student outcomes are not satisfactory to the sponsor that granted the original charter, the charter need not be renewed. A new plan and a new charter can be granted by the board to a new group of sponsors. Accountability is a central issue.
"The Charter School idea offers a way to broaden quality choice within public education," says Ted Kolderie, senior associate at the Center for Policy Studies in Minneapolis. "It offers a middle way between traditional public education and the 'choice' proposals that use vouchers for private education."
Some public education veterans agree. "Public schooling should not be the exclusive domain of school districts," argues Carlos M. Medina, the former New York City School District #4 superintendent who helped establish innovative schools such as Central Park East. "There are many institutions within school district communities that can educationally serve children well," says Medina, who is now a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute's Center for Educational Innovation, where he helps develop new kinds of public schools. "Community institutions like schools of education and museums and others should be given an opportunity to be part of the school community."
"Charter Schools are a small piece of the reform strategies we are using in Minnesota - not a cure-all," notes Gene Mammenga, Minnesota Commissioner of Education. "If charters divert our attention and reformers believe that they don't have to devote as much energy to systemic change in the public schools, then they will not have served a good purpose."
It is unlikely that every student who attends a Charter School over the next decade will aspire to college or trade school, or even successfully graduate with the skills that he or she needs to survive in today's hyper-competitive economy, where knowledge and skills are key to social autonomy or financial prosperity. And over the next few years, some Charter Schools may utterly fail at the innovations they try to introduce. Personalities, financial strains, and social forces could intervene to blur the goal of a better education for all charter students. However, with renewable charters, the schools that do not meet their goals can be replaced by other charters that have learned from past mistakes.
Posted on March 6, 1995
URL: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/go/93-2RFRM.HTM