The Evidence for Charter Schools

I'll lead with this: I am not a big fan of basically any idea that involves privatizing our school system, whether that is voucher programs for private schools or charter schools. I am aware of the problems our current system faces, but I tend to believe that voucher or charter programs simply replace those problems with a different set.

More specifically, trying to take advantage of the free market to improve our schools is going to result in the same problem that shows up in any number of ways throughout a capitalist system: What makes the most money is not always the same as what accomplishes the desired goal, whether that is building a good product, providing a good service, or (to use this specific case) educating kids. Without some form of regulation or other government control to enforce a minimum standard, some people will misjudge the quality of the school they select - or simply not care about quality as they search for a good deal - and end up providing something that doesn't deserve to be called a proper education.

That said, there are opinion writers I respect writing pieces like this one, so I may have to admit that charter schools, at least, aren't such a bad idea. In my defense, systems like the one he describes do involve the government enforcing certain standards even as it hands control over to individual operators of the various charter schools, which is a lot closer to the sort of system I like than the complete lack of government involvement that characterizes most voucher programs and some charter programs.

In the end, we'll just have to follow where the facts lead us. So far, that looks like charters can succeed if they're held to the right standard.