Yes, Hillary Clinton supports charter schools. She also supports equity and inclusion.
Hillary’s recent comments about charter school equity and inclusion have sparked a conversation about America’s public schools. It’s an important debate — one we should be having — for our kids’ futures and for our country’s future.
So let’s cut right to the chase: For decades, Hillary Clinton has been a strong supporter of both public charter schools and an unflinching advocate for traditional public schools, their teachers and their students. She knows that all public schools play a role in providing pathways for every child to live up to their potential. This isn’t anything new. She’s been saying it for decades.
Just a few months ago:
“The original idea behind charter schools was that they would be kind of laboratories for the public schools. And I go back to supporting that idea to the 1980s. Because anything that can get us better focused on what works in teaching different kinds of kids, we should be open to.”
Hillary — Glen, New Hampshire, 7/4/15
A few years ago:
“Well I believe in public school choice, and I’ve been a long supporter of charter schools, which is one of the reasons why I was pleased that our Greenville event was in a charter school.”
Hillary — Interview with the Spartanbeurg Herald Journal, 5/10/07
More than a decade ago:
“I do support charter schools that are done the right way. Accountable public schools with well-trained teachers. I believe in giving parents more choices in selecting from among public schools. I’ve seen what can happen when citizens and teachers are empowered, and when people feel obligated to be a part of the school and the community. If we want every child to learn, than every adult must share the same goal, to raise up our public schools, not tear them down. I have been committed to public education my entire life.”
Hillary — Syracuse University, 2/9/00
Hillary’s support of quality charter schools goes hand-in-hand with her call for equity and inclusion — for all public schools. We owe our kids a debate, but we also owe our kids solutions. As Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has said, “The bottom line is that the charter school brand has to stand for quality, accountability, cost-efficiency, and transparency.” Not addressing difficult questions (or simply trying to score political points) does not serve our charter schools or our students. The issues that Hillary has raised are issues that all of us should care about. Here they are:
Charter accountability
Hillary believes that every public school should be serving our students and supporting our teachers. And when charter schools are producing results, she believes we should double down on their success by scaling the model and ensure that their innovations are widely disseminated throughout our traditional public schools. That was the original bargain of charter schools.
At the same time, we must also have the courage to shut down charters that are failing our kids. And don’t just take this from me, or Hillary, for that matter. Take it from Geoffrey Canada:
“You know, people tell me, ‘Yeah, those charter schools, a lot of them don’t work.’ A Yes, Hillary Clinton supports charter schools. She also supports equity and inclusion. — Medium:
