Seattle Schools Community Forum: Not the Charter Fight

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Not the Charter Fight:

Not the Charter Fight

by Charlie Mas

Melissa wrote a piece for the Washington Post about how Washington State has resisted a number of the more conventional elements of Education Reform, including charter schools.

Liv Finne wrote a response for the Washington Policy Center blog and Melissa has responded in turn.

My thinking on this continues to evolve. Right now I'm at a place where I have no interest in the question. The discussion follows predictable patterns:

I argue against charter schools saying: "There nothing that a charter school can do for students that a public school cannot do. Whatever wonderful thing that a charter school does could also be done in a public school."

The charter school advocate responds: "Perhaps. But the public schools don't do those things."

And I come right back with: "And neither do most charters. The vast majority of them operate no differently from traditional public schools."

Instead of looking for disagreement, we could look for common ground. There's plenty. Education activists and sincere Education Reformers (not the insincere ones who are just trying to bust unions and reduce their tax bills)