Charter Schools: All the Ways They Are Not In the Public Interest
Donald Cohen is the executive director of In the Public Interest. In a powerful statement about his organization’s mission for 2020, Cohen proclaims:
“So much is under attack: public education, water, transit, public parks, public health, libraries, the postal service, air traffic control, and much more. Where there’s money to be made, there are corporations positioning to take over… What worries us most is when private interests get too much control and influence over fundamental democratic decisions and our ability to provide public goods… We often hear that government is needed when markets fail. We disagree. There are market things and public things. They’re different things, like apples and oranges. Here’s what we mean by ‘public’ (or, what’s in the public interest):
- The things we can only do if we do them together…
- The things we all benefit from regardless of whether we use the specific service or asset…
- The things that protect and support us all…
- The things that make us a better, fairer, more compassionate, and more democratic nation.
“We are pro-government because it is the only institution capable of ensuring that public things remain public.”
During the past quarter century, charter schools have come to threaten the public interest as Cohen defines it. While their sponsors call them “public charter schools,” they are public only in the funding stream of public tax dollars. Their boards are private, and the management CONTINUE READING: Charter Schools: All the Ways They Are Not In the Public Interest | janresseger
