Charter School Transparency and Accountability Remain Low
Transparency and accountability have never been the strong suits of non-profit and for-profit charter schools.
Unlike the nation’s public schools, all charter schools (about 7,100) are run by unelected individuals, and many, if not most, charter schools regularly violate open-meeting laws, are not subject to public records laws, and avoid audits.
In these and other ways, non-profit and for-profit charter schools do not really want to be answerable to the public because they highly value their inherently private status, which is what allows them to cynically operate as pay-the-rich schemes under the veneer of high ideals. Charter school operators desperately want the public to accept as true that privately-operated charter schools exist “for the kids” and not to self-servingly line the pockets of privatizers and profiteers.
In this antisocial neoliberal context, non-profit and for-profit charter schools frequently claim to be open and welcoming, and often go so far as to encourage people to visit and tour charter schools. Charter school operators often create the illusion that they are eager to answer people’s questions and show off their schools. All of this, in turn, is part of the consumerist and commercial nature of charter schools. It is why, unlike public schools but CONTINUE READING: Charter School Transparency and Accountability Remain Low | Dissident Voice
