Lots of Love, But Also Questions for Charter Schools
Yesterday, I said that the House Committee on Education and Labor was likely to be able to come together on a bipartisan basis to embrace the proliferation of good charter schools. (This was also the very first hearing this year on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.)
And, as expected, there was a lot of praise for charter schools at the committee's hearing today and for the the potential of charters to serve as laboratories to improve public schools, tailor services to students with a range of learning needs, and emphasize subjects (like science) that sometimes get short-shrift in traditional public schools.
But it seems that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are focusing not just on how they can expand good charter schools. They're also looking at how Congress can make sure the expansion of charters goes hand-in-hand with quality and help ensure that special populations have access to good charter schools.
In his opening statement, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, who has traditionally been a cheerleader for charters, said these schools can be better equipped to engage parents, provide extended learning time, and encourage effective teaching than many traditional public schools.
