The next time you hear we need to expand charter schools in Kansas to give “choice” to poor children, think of the examples in this story. “’This whole movement has gotten way out of control – it has morphed dramatically – especially the punditry and resultant public policy surrounding charter schooling. Sadly, I’m reaching a point where I now believe that the end result is causing more harm than good.’
Recently, Stan Karp of Rethinking Schools wrote, ‘Nearly every teacher dreams of starting a school. I know I did. But I also know the charter school movement has changed dramatically in recent years in ways that have undermined its original intentions … The counterfeit claim that charter privatization is part of a new ‘civil rights movement,’ addressing the deep and historic inequality that surrounds our schools, is belied by the real impact of rapid charter growth in cities across the country.’
His conclusion? ‘It’s time to put the brakes on charter expansion and refocus public policy on providing excellent public schools for all.’” http://www.salon.com/2014/01/10/the_truth_about_charter_schools_padded_cells_corruption_lousy_instruction_and_worse_results/

We acknowledge that there are some good charters, but the vast majority don’t outperform true public schools, and the morphed version of charters has shown itself to provide too many opportunities for malfeasance while taking needed resources from the true public schools which continue to be available to all students.