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Vouchers vs. Charters (Joanne Jacobs)

April 10, 2007

This is a response to an article by former Alliance president Clint Bolick. -ed.

I’m not as optimistic about school choice as Clint Bolick. Some hard-fought battles have been won in recent years but there’s still enormous and entrenched opposition, especially to vouchers.  Charters are more accepted. As the successful charter models expand, I think the reputation of charter schools will continue to grow.

The big change, I think, is in the attitudes of parents whose children attend low-performing and dangerous schools.  Detroit is the most dramatic example.  Parents are voting with their feet, leaving district-run schools for charter, private and suburban schools. They know they have choices and they are choosing.

Many teachers also are exploring their options. In New Orleans, teachers are choosing the new charter schools over the non-charters.  Green Dot, which has its an in-house union, has been able to hire experienced teachers from the district.

I’ve been running around giving talks about my book, "Our School: The Inspiring Story of Two Teachers, One Big Idea and the Charter School That Beat the Odds," which is about a high school that prepares left-behind students — most come from Mexican immigrant families — for college.  Parents who come to readings know they have a choice in where to send their kids. Teachers are very interested in reading about a school with a shared sense of mission, genuine collaboration and support for trying things that might not work.

Americans aren’t satisfied with the status quo. They want change. And I think they want choice.

Joanne Jacobs, a former Knight-Ridder syndicated columnist, is now a freelance writer and blogger.   

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