Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, the charter schools topic is back in the state legislature. Unlike the swallows, who live to see another day, the bill allowing charter schools in tennessee will probably crash and burn. Again.
To the chagrin of public education reformists, charter schools have met with consistent opposition in the state legislature for several sessions now. While charter schools probably won’t by themselves rescue public education from the swamp of mediocrity in which it flounders, they certainly might do some good. But the legislature’s embrace with the teachers’ union unfortunately has meant charter schools never get anywhere. That our state’s education system seems to cater more to the insecurities and self-protection of its teachers than the needs of its students is sad.
Charter schools exist in nearly four out of five states. They are funded the same way public schools are funded, but they operate without the encumbrances of public schools. Typically, if a local university decided it wanted to run a public school, it could apply to run a charter and then be funded by the local public school system. At the same time, it wouldn’t have to deal with the school bureaucracy. And that’s the point.
The teachers would have you believe that a rocket scientist is unfit to teach physics, because that scientist doesn’t have an education degree. Malarky, the education reformists rebut. Who better to teach physics?
Charter school operators might range from a children’s science museum to a group of parent activists to a private company that manages schools. The idea is that operating outside the sphere of the public school system enables educators to do a better job educating children. And that, in turn, provides an element of competition to other schools still in the system.
For-profit companies have sprung up to run many of the charter schools being formed around the country, The Edison Project being the best known. Many Edison school students have shown rapid improvement in reading and math, but most agree that the long-term success of the company is still uncertain simply because it doesn’t have a long enough track record. The story is much the same with other charter school operators: There have been improvements, but the concept is so new that no one is completely sure what to make of it all.
Nevertheless, they’re certainly worth a shot. The state legislature has consistently rejected bills allowing charter schools in Tennessee. But last year, the House Education Committee formed a study group to consider the idea. The committee met for the first time this month, which gave charter school supporters the slightest glimmer of hope. As well, the Bush administration is budgeting another $100 million for charter schools nationwide, a point driven home by the president’s education secretary, Ron Paige, on a visit to Nashville two weeks ago. When money is available, people always seem more willing to do the unexpected.
The bill being considered in Tennessee is nothing revolutionary. It would allow only 18 charter schools in the state. But it would authorize private companies to run charter schools, and that is anathema to the teachers’ union. We at the Scene believe it would be healthy to have a company like The Edison Project create charter schools in Tennessee. If, in the end, Edison did poorly, we could always reconsider the concept. If it did well, the risk would have been well worth it.
Charter schools are a kick in the pants to a system gone soft. It’s about time we allowed them.
