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This Choicework Discussion Starter is part of Charter Schools In Perspective, an effort to enlighten and improve the conversation about charter schools in the United States.

In Perspective is a joint project of the Spencer Foundation and Public Agenda, both nonpartisan organizations. For more information, visit in-perspective.org

ABOUT CHOICEWORK DISCUSSION STARTERS Choicework Discussion Starters:

• Support dialogue. They are designed as a starting point for constructive deliberation and problem solving.

• Present several alternative ways of thinking about an issue, each with its own values, priorities, advantages and trade-offs.

• Combine questions and insights drawn from both public and leadership/expert thinking.

• Encourage users to offer additional ideas and/or combine or adapt elements from the material presented here.

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

These slides are designed to be used by a moderator, facilitator or teacher to supplement dialogue on charter schools using the Choicework Discussion Starter “Are Charter Schools a Good Way to Improve Education in Our Community.”

We encourage you to download the full Choicework Discussion Starter at www.in-perspective.org and provide it to dialogue participants.

For guidance on facilitating a Choicework Dialogue, please contact Public Agenda at info@publicagenda.org.

KEY FA

CTS A

BOUT

CHARTER S

CHOOLS

WHAT ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS?

• Funded by taxpayers• Operated by groups outside the traditional

school system• Receive a “charter” from state or local

government to open a school• Can be closed if they do not perform

adequately• Are very diverse—there are many types of

charter schools

KEY FACTS ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS

6% of U.S. public schools are charters

The number of charter schools increased by nearly 40% between 2007-08 and 2012-13

KEY FACTS ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS

5% of public school students attend a charter schools

Enrollment at charter schools increased by over 78% between 2007-08 and 2012-13

KEY FACTS ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS

Most charter schools are in cities – nearly 3,000 in 2011-12

KEY FACTS ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS

CHARTER SCHOOLS VARY WIDELY

• Some are part of large national charter systems; others are locally-designed and operated

• Some are non-profit; others for-profit• Teaching methods, curricula,

philosophy vary • Some are popular and have waiting

lists; others have been closed

KEY FACTS ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS

PERSPE

CTIVES T

O THIN

K

OVER AND D

ISCUSS

SOME GENERAL QUESTIONS TO KEEP IN MIND• Is opening charter schools one of the best ideas

for improving education in our community, or are there other approaches more deserving of our time, energy and resources?

• Charters vary widely. If we do decide they are a good option, what kind of charters do we want?

• What will be the advantages and disadvantages of charter schools for the students who attend them? What about for students who attend other schools in the district?

THREE BROAD PERSPECTIVES

Give Parents Choice.

Preserve and Improve Neighborhood Schools.

Use Charters in a Limited Way to Test New Ideas.

Charters offer parents more and better choices, and that should be our goal. This is especially urgent in communities where public schools have been failing for years.

Charters will undermine existing neighborhood schools by taking tax dollars and some highly-involved, knowledgeable parents from our regular schools. We should focus on improving our existing schools so all the children will benefit.

With charters, we can try out new ideas and approaches—something that’s sorely needed and rarely happens in the existing system. If something works in charters, we could adopt the idea in our neighborhood schools.

GIVE PA

RENTS C

HOICE

PE

RS

PE

CT

I VE

1

• The vision: Our district will promote charter schools, moving quickly to a system where every parent can choose the best school for his or her child.

• Tax money “follows the student”—when a student attends a charter, the “per student” tax dollars go the charter school

• All schools provide detailed statistics so parents can compare them. Better information will spur competition and overall improvement.

#1: GIVE PARENTS CHOICE

Arguments for:

• Families in districts with low-performing schools need alternatives.

• In some cases, low-income charter students score higher on reading/math tests.

• Affluent families already have choices.

Arguments against:

• Most students attend traditional public schools.

• Traditional public schools will have less money.

• Neighborhood schools are crucial institutions.

#1: GIVE PARENTS CHOICE

PRESERVE &

IMPR

OVE

NEIGHBORHOOD

SCHOOLS

PE

RS

PE

CT

I VE

2

• The vision: Almost all students attend

traditional neighborhood schools.

• We should stop looking to charter schools for school improvement and instead take bold steps to improve the neighborhood schools we have.

• Districts stop authorizing new charters and

carefully scrutinize existing ones, closing those that don’t deliver.

#2: PRESERVE AND IMPROVE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS

Arguments for:

• Strong neighborhood schools help all children in the area.

• It’s what teachers, students and parents do that makes the difference--not the organizational structure.

• Lack of funding, overcrowding and lack of parental and community support are the real problems facing local schools.

Arguments against:

• If a charter can do better, parents deserve that option.

• Traditional public schools are burdened by red tape and entrenched special interests.

• There is a process for closing charter schools if they fail, making them more accountable.

#2: PRESERVE AND IMPROVE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS

USE CHART

ERS IN A

LIMIT

ED WAY

TO T

EST

NEW ID

EAS

PE

RS

PE

CT

I VE

3

• The vision: Most children continue to attend traditional neighborhood schools. A few

Charters are authorized to experiment with new ideas.

• Charter schools are closely monitored. Their goal is to test out new approaches that can be adopted by traditional public schools.

• Charters are not used to spur competition among schools or provide parent choice for its own sake.

#3: USE CHARTERS IN A LIMITED WAY TO TEST NEW

IDEAS

Arguments for:

• Charters were intended to be incubators, not to replace traditional public schools.

• Education needs new thinking.

• Many education reform ideas need a lot more field testing.

Arguments against:

• Setting up a few experiments doesn’t give parents the kinds of choices they deserve.

• Unless people outside the existing system have a change to create and manage new school, very little is going to change.

• The problem facing schools isn’t a lack of new ideas. It’s bureaucracy and unwillingness to change

#3: USE CHARTERS IN A LIMITED WAY TO TEST NEW

IDEAS

THREE BROAD PERSPECTIVES

Give Parents Choice.

Preserve and Improve Neighborhood Schools.

Use Charters in a Limited Way to Test New Ideas.

Charters offer parents more and better choices, and that should be our goal. This is especially urgent in communities where public schools have been failing for years.

Charters will undermine existing neighborhood schools by taking tax dollars and some highly-involved, knowledgeable parents from our regular schools. We should focus on improving our existing schools so all the children will benefit.

With charters, we can try out new ideas and approaches—something that’s sorely needed and rarely happens in the existing system. If something works in charters, we could adopt the idea in our neighborhood schools.

# 1: GIVE PARENTS CHOICE

• What is the long-term vision—to have a small number of charters or to move to a point where charters predominate?

• What are the plans to improve other schools in the district?

• How will the charters be funded, and what impact will that have on other schools and students? Can we mitigate any negative financial consequences?

• How will the district respond if there is more demand for charter schools than space available or

if the charter does not meet expectations?

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

# 2: PRESERVE AND IMPROVE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS

• What are the plans to improve student learning if the district decides not to allow charters?

• What are the plans to attract, evaluate and retain

good teachers and principals?

• Is it reasonable to expect troubled schools to improve without a major shake-up?

• Are there ideas from the charter movement that should still be considered?

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

# 3: USE CHARTERS IN A LIMITED WAY TO TEST NEW IDEAS:

• How will the district ensure that successful innovations

from charter schools will be adopted more broadly?

• What are the plans to improve the neighborhood

schools most children attend now?

• Will there be a financial loss to existing public schools?

• Is the problem in our district really a lack of innovation and new ideas, or are there other, more pressing issues?

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Be sure to check out all of the Charter Schools In Perspective resources, including:

• The full PDF version of this Choicework Discussion Starter

• Charter Schools In Perspective: A Guide to Research

•10 Questions for Policymakers

•10 Questions for Journalists

All materials are available to download and print at www.in-perspective.org.