Charter Schools: A Critical Appraisal

The record of charter schools has been a mixed bag. They have become racialized, radicalized into business-generation schemes, scorned by teachers unions, and in some cases rammed down the throats of poorer communities. But charter schools sometimes have spotlighted best practice in urban education....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inState Education Standard Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 44 - 46
Main Author Henry, Samuel D
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published National Association of State Boards of Education 01.01.2017
Subjects
Accountability
Best Practices
Charter Schools
Citizen Participation
Educational Quality
Equal Education
Governance
Institutional Characteristics
Institutional Evaluation
Leadership Effectiveness
School Policy
State Policy
State Standards
Student Diversity
Oregon
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:The record of charter schools has been a mixed bag. They have become racialized, radicalized into business-generation schemes, scorned by teachers unions, and in some cases rammed down the throats of poorer communities. But charter schools sometimes have spotlighted best practice in urban education. In this article, Samuel D. Henry, a former Oregon State Board Chair, reports on his experience with the charter school system, stating that good charter schools authorized at the state level are characterized by: (1) sound policy and effective leadership; (2) continually evolving best practice and assessment; (3) a stated equity framework that includes the ongoing participation of diverse communities; (4) clear authority to terminate schools; (5) citizens watchdogging state policymaking authorities to ensure that charters reach this high bar; and (6) policymakers being courageous and transparent in their decision making, with the sure knowledge that kids' futures are at stake with every decision.
ISSN:1540-8000