WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Democratic presidential contenders have given up any pretense that they value offering families options — including the many black and brown families who have benefited from charter schools in cities like Detroit. … At a recent event in Atlanta, Elizabeth Warren raised the ire of some charter school enthusiasts and made a couple gaffes, including stating her child went to a public school and didn’t attend a private school (which has been clearly documented). She also bashed Michigan’s charter schools . ... “As you know, in Michigan, charter schools don’t have to meet the same standards as public schools,” Warren said.
“First of all, charter schools ARE public schools,” countered Dan Quisenberry, president of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, in a statement. “And to be clear, charter schools not only have to meet all the same standards as traditional public schools, they have to meet quite a few more.”
True. Charter public schools face all the same state mandates as district public schools. And they have additional oversight built in with authorizers, most of which are public universities in Michigan, as well as charter school boards. And authorizers actually close down low-performing charters, something that never happens (but should) with failing district schools. But parents are the biggest determining factor behind a charter’s success or failure. If they don’t like a school, they leave. …
Warren now joins a large list of candidates who criticize charter schools and education choice options even though they sent their own children to private schools. That’s hypocrisy at its finest.