Hosted
by The Center for Education Reform
Hosted
by The Center for Education Reform
LET'S GET FACTS STRAIGHT ON CHARTER SCHOOLS
By Dr. Ormand Hook
Crain's Detroit Business, May 19, 1997
When Michigan legislators debated the state's first proposed charter school law in 1993, critics charged that these new, relatively independent schools would be elitist, or even racist. ''At risk'' children, they said, would be left for the other public schools to handle.
Advocates, on the other hand, argued that charter schools would be inclusive and would provide a haven for students who were ''falling through the cracks'' in poorly performing public schools.
A verdict on which view is closer to the truth is taking shape.
Under the law, any individual or organization can create a charter school in Michigan. But each school ultimately must be authorized by a local school board, an intermediate school district, a community college or a public university. The school then operates as an independent, nonprofit entity responsible to the body that authorized it.
Freed of bureaucracy and the strictures that regular public schools must endure, a charter school has room for innovation, but its admissions policies must be nondiscriminatory. If space cannot accommodate all students who wish to attend, students must be chosen randomly.
A charter school is, by definition, a ''school of choice'' and automatically receives the state's foundation grant - about $5,500 - for each pupil in attendance. More than 10,000 students enrolled last fall at the 75 operational schools in Michigan.
Central Michigan University has sponsored more than 60 percent of the charter schools in the state. As of mid-1996, more than half - 53.5 percent - of the students enrolled in those CMU-sponsored schools were African-American, Hispanic, Native American and Asian students. Caucasians made up 46.5 percent of the student population. These numbers reflect the composition of all Michigan charter schools almost precisely and are much different from the state's public schools as a whole, which are 78 percent white and 17 percent African-American.
These facts are in line with what's happening across the country. The Hudson Institute's Educational Excellence Network found that nationwide, 63 percent of students attending charter schools in 25 states and the District of Columbia are minority-group members. Fifty-five percent of the students are considered poor, while 19 percent have limited English abilities and 19 percent have disabilities.
The biggest barriers in starting a charter school include a lack of start-up funds and difficulties in securing and financing physical facilities. But those barriers are being overcome by dedicated parents and educational entrepreneurs who believe strongly in their missions. The most frequently cited reasons for chartering a school are ''better teaching and learning for all kids,'' ''running a school according to certain principles and philosophy'' and ''exploring innovative ways of running a school.''
Only three years have passed since Michigan enacted its first charter school law. The residents of the state should be pleased to know the schools created so far are serving a growing student body and serving them well. The fears of opponents have been proved to be unfounded by the real-life results.
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Dr. Ormand Hook is director of the Michigan Resource Center for Charter Schools at Central Michigan University.