Unwrapping Charter School Titles: Where’s the Innovation?
Those who have virtue always in their mouths, and neglect it in practice, are like a harp, which emits a sound pleasing to others, while itself is insensible of the music.
~Diogenes
Where’s the innovation with choice and charters? Betsy DeVos has said, it’s how you go from a closed system to an open system that encourages innovation. People deserve choices and options. Advocates for choice and charters often refer to innovation—like parents are going to find something unique and wonderful with vouchers.
But what are those choices? Go looking for them and they are hard to find. Some charters advertise subjects stripped from traditional public schools due to draconian reform and privatization. But that’s not innovation. It’s theft!
Charter schools might have unique titles, but scratch beneath the surface and most of them are run the same way—with data, character education, and rigor. Students and parents must comply with rules. Charter managers can reject students who don’t follow those rules.
That’s strict management—not innovation.
It’s difficult to find real innovation in charter schools. Consider their titles and what happens in the schools.
Classical Charter Schools
Putting “Classical” into a charter title is popular. One might think it means students will listen to classical music, study ancient Greek or Latin art, literature, and culture. But Unwrapping Charter School Titles: Where’s the Innovation?:
