The Choice Channel

“I’ve heard the arguments for and against charter schools. These are alternative public schools that operate under a ‘charter’ separate from a local school board. They receive less public money than regular schools but in return operate free of many of the rules governing traditional schools. Eighteen charter schools now operate in Indianapolis; 16 of them sponsored by the administration of Mayor Bart Peterson. Arguments against: Charter schools skim from regular schools those students who may not fit well in a traditional school setting but are nonetheless motivated to do better, leaving less committed and more poorly performing students to already struggling schools. Charter schools take monetary resources from regular public schools. Charter schools, since they aren’t governed by an elected board, are less accountable. Charter schools create a two-tiered, separate, unequal, unfair system that is counter to the foundation of U.S. public schools.” (12/02/07)