Charter schools embody the principles that Democrats claim to endorse.
A year ago, Kathy Hochul, a Democrat and New York’s governor, proposed an adjustment to the state cap on charter schools. These schools, which are publicly funded but privately operated, have sparked both innovation and controversy in American education. Hochul’s plan, though modest, aimed to permit the opening of dozens of new charter schools in New York City. Currently, these schools serve approximately 15% of public-school students in the city, with thousands of families on waiting lists. However, the proposal faced strong opposition from fellow Democrats, particularly state legislators aligned with teachers’ unions. After a tough battle, the governor had to settle for a small increase last autumn.
This conflict reflects a disheartening shift in the politics of charter schools. Once a topic of rare bipartisan enthusiasm, these schools have now become a source of division, especially among Democrats. While Barack Obama campaigned for charter-school expansion in 2008, Joe Biden expressed his lack of enthusiasm for them in 2020. (Nevertheless, his administration has maintained federal funding for charters.) Overall, Republicans are more supportive, and Donald Trump increased support during his presidency. However, Republican priorities have evolved since George W. Bush and his brother Jeb, as governor of Florida, championed charters as symbols of racial equity. Today, Republicans prioritize vouchers that enable parents to use taxpayer funds to enroll children in religious schools.
The declining attention to charters coincides with new evidence of their success. In June of last year, a comprehensive study from Stanford University emerged. This study is the latest in a series of three national studies conducted over two decades by the Centre for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO). The first study, which analyzed 13 states and three major cities between 2000 and 2008, compared charter pupils with their peers in other public schools. On…
2024-02-01 09:28:43
Originally from www.economist.com