| Charters are competition--and that's a good thing. |
6/9/04 6:12 PM |
Author:
Gerry Vazquez
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Effective chartering and quality charter schools are indeed competition to the traditional system. Why else would unions, school boards, ed schools, etc., work so hard and spend so much money to defeat and/or contain the movement?
We're engaged in a clash of ideas for how best to deliver education in the 21st Century. It's that simple. It's either choice and accountability or central control and red tape.
What concerns me are increasing signs of alignment between some charter school folks/groups and traditional system interests. It is one thing for charter folks to partner with "enlightened" district/board leaders looking to accelerate the evolution of a charter/choice sector. It's something quite different when charter folks--in an attempt to cooperate--allow traditional interests to gain influence over them.
Whether overtly or covertly, efforts to co-opt or control segments of the charter movement must be recognized and strongly resisted.
Posted as a reply to:
End traditional districts by Doug Thomas 
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