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SMART BUSINESS MOVE: HELP CHARTER SCHOOLS
By Robert L. Luddy, Point of View, The News & Observer Raleigh,
NC, May 17, 2000
WAKE FOREST -- Wake County public schools could benefit from the entrepreneurial thinking that has spawned three excellent examples of charter schools in our local area: Franklin Academy in Wake Forest, the Magellan School in North Raleigh and Exploris in downtown Raleigh.
Charter schools are created by educators, parents and community leaders; they can be sponsored by nonprofit agencies, colleges and universities or businesses. They are freed from traditional bureaucracy and instead operate according to their charter, which spells out specific achievement goals, which must be approved by the state Board of Education. They are subject to regular scrutiny by the state Department of Public Instruction and can be closed if they fail to deliver.
By contrast, conventional public schools are suffering from the business problem of the 1980s - diseconomies of scale. Insulated from competition, they have become unmanageably large, plodding and unresponsive. In the 1990s, the private sector transformed itself through streamlining and innovation. The public sector must do the same.
Some of the inherent elements of entrepreneurship - a specific mission, strong motivation and commitment, intense focus on measurable goals, small size and even shoestring budgets - are now fostering innovation in charter schools across the state such as the three cited. The results are exciting on every level - most notably student achievement, but also parental involvement and teacher satisfaction. Teachers are choosing to work at charter schools because of the reduced bureaucracy, the high quality curriculum and empowerment in the classroom, according to a recent survey by the League of Charter Schools (www.charterleague.org). The flexibility of charter schools allows them to make better use of part-time teachers with expertise in a particular subject area.
Opponents charge that charter schools do well because they skim the best students and most involved parents, that they actively exclude special needs children, and that they rob the public schools of already stretched tax dollars.
These myths are baseless, according to the Center for Education Reform (www.edreform.com). Charter schools are public schools in which any student can enroll based on a lottery. Funding is based on enrollment, and because capital expenses are not provided by the state, charter schools actually cost the taxpayers less.
We are constantly being told that in order to thrive in this new world our children must be able to adapt to quickly changing environments. The continuation of the status quo desired by the traditional education groups is antithetical to this end.
Schools must behave like the organizations their "clients" will eventually serve. They must evaluate what is working and rapidly expand these "best practices" throughout the system. Why not let our schools serve as a model for the type of thinking that will be required in the new economy? For its part, business has much to offer and much to gain by lending its professional expertise and investing in the readiness of our children.
Charter schools offer choice, autonomy, and accountability. The act of writing a charter focuses the schoolıs leader on a mission. The act of choosing the school promotes additional involvement by the parents and teachers The curriculum and innovation have met with overwhelming parental approval, as evidenced by enrollment waiting lists at most charter schools.
This success should inspire the school system to provide better services. Charter schools offer a model for education reform in Wake County and across the state.
In the county, with our school superintendent leaving and our voters rejecting the massive spending bond, we are at a crossroads. Clearly voters realize that throwing more money at the school system is not working. The solution is the expansion of charter schools by the General Assembly and the sponsorship of new charter schools by businesses and other entities that have a stake in the future of our children. Educational and community leaders must embrace charter schools. Time is of the essence.
Before we can achieve success in any endeavor, we must articulate a vision, define specific steps towards a goal and know what success looks like.
Franklin Academy, the Magellan School and Exploris are shining examples of this approach. It is time for Wake County to take a progressive view and open 50 new charter schools to provide a plethora of new opportunities for our children. Business and industry leaders need to step up to the plate and make this a reality.
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Robert L. Luddy, president of Captive Air-Systems, Inc. in Youngsville, is chairman of The Franklin Academy.
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