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Charter schools reach for the stars?

This sounds pretty cool:

Imagine a math and science high school with lab classes conducted by staff from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Or a high school of the arts with access to the stages of the Pasadena Playhouse and the exhibits of the Huntington Library.

These and other innovative ideas are included in a new report set for release today that calls for a radical restructuring of the Pasadena public school system, which has been struggling with administrative and financial woes, falling enrollment and demographic flux.

The report suggests partnering with community institutions such as Caltech, the Norton Simon Museum and Huntington Hospital to create a system of magnet schools that would offer the three Rs but also specialize in distinctive subject areas such as health sciences, languages or college preparation.

Richard D. Kahlenberg, the report’s author, said the goal is to achieve a greater socioeconomic mix in the public schools by offering unique educational settings to attract middle-income families who have largely abandoned public campuses in favor of private schools.

Our post-secondary network of colleges is first-rate.  And lest we forget, JPL is running the Mars exploration mission.  Why shouldn’t we try to link all this cool stuff to K-12?