In praise of charter schools

Charter schools are public schools that do not charge tuition and enroll any student who wants to attend, often through a random lottery when the demand for enrollment is outmatched by the supply of available charter school seats.

Public charter schools promote innovation and excellence in public education. Public charter schools throughout the United States provide millions of families with diverse and innovative educational options for their children. high-performing public charter schools and charter management organizations are increasing student achievement and attendance rates at institutions of higher education.

Public charter schools often set higher expectations for students, beyond the requirements of the previously stated act, to ensure that the charter schools are of high quality and truly accountable to the public. Enrollment in public charter schools grew from 400,000 students in 2001 to approximately 3,200,000 students in 2019, an eightfold increase in 18 years.

Public charter schools improve the achievement of students enrolled in the charter schools and collaborate with traditional public schools to improve public education for all students. Parental demand for charter schools is high, and there was an estimated 5 percent growth in charter school enrollment between the 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 school years.

Public charter schools:

Give parents the freedom to choose public schools;

Routinely measure parental satisfaction levels;

And must prove the ongoing success of the charter schools to parents, policymakers and the communities served by the charter schools or risk closure.

Parker Randall

Spokane