Blue Jersey:: Ed Reform 101: Charter Schools & Vouchers

Blue Jersey:: Ed Reform 101: Charter Schools & Vouchers:

Ed Reform 101: Charter Schools & Vouchers

by Jersey Jazzman

Blue Jersey's Ed Reform 101
Part 5 - Charter School and Voucher Myths

Charter schools have taken on an almost mythic quality. Touted by politicians, the subject of Hollywood films, the darlings of Wall Street: listening to the marketing, you would think charter schools were the saviors of American children.

Don't believe the hype. While there may well be a place for charter schools, they are not the miracles their sellers would have us believe. They vary greatly in quality, don't serve the same populations of students, and are not subject to the same oversight taxpayers demand from public schools.

Neither charter schools - nor vouchers to private schools - will solve the problems of poverty that plague 20% of our children and lead to gaps in school achievement. Neither is a substitute for a real education policy.

And yet they remain at the center of Chris Christie's "reform" agenda. That's a