Four Ways Charter Schools Undermine Good Education Policy
Charter schools are privately owned and operated schools funded with public tax dollars. That tension between private interests and public education has been at the heart of much debate about charter school policy. In a policy paper released today by the National Education Policy Center, Helen Ladd (Duke University) argues that there are four ways in which modern charter schools are at odds with good education policy.
Establishing coherent education systems
Recent research shows that, when it comes to education, money does matter. At the same time, Ladd argues, money must be used “productively and efficiently to promote good educational outcomes.” Since tax dollars are used, it seems appropriate that the use of that funding should be coordinated by local elected officials.
Charters, by design, “operate outside state and local education systems,” to varying degrees depending on which state we’re talking about. Ladd observes that this creates several challenges.
One is simple planning, since local districts must not only guess how many students will opt for charters, but must also provide space for those students should they return to public school. They must do this with fewer financial resources, and while tax dollars may follow the students, costs do not necessarily do so.