Charter schools’ day has arrived
It’s just a matter of time. The debate over raising the charter school cap in Massachusetts is one of many fronts in the battle to give students and their guardians some choice over their own education and future.
Charter school expansion is part of a policy evolution whose time is rapidly approaching.
In this sense, it is comparable to the development of the policy involving — and the political success of — same-sex marriage.
A few years ago, even President Obama and Hillary Clinton proclaimed that marriage “should be between a man and a woman.” How quickly public policy can change.
Entrenched regressive forces fought same-sex marriage stateby-state for decades, even though it was the decent path to give individuals a choice for exercising personal freedom and improving their lives.
The fear-mongering of opponents proved wrong. Indeed, for those who promoted “family values,” what better step could society take than to grant the authority to marry to people who enthusiastically want to partake in the institution?
Similarly, many opponents of charter school expansion claim to be promoting the interests of children in public schools. Yet, it’s difficult to make the argument with a straight face when many of the state’s lower-income students, particularly those in urban areas, are betrayed by the status quo. Their opportunities — and futures — are being constrained by regressive forces.
Massachusetts gets credit for starting the nation’s first public school system nearly 200 years ago. The fact that from here the nation developed a universal public school system was a remarkable feat achieved by the hard work of generations of committed teachers and local communities. It has helped make the U.S. exceptional.
But the system has reached a point where the old model must evolve to serve the needs of children across the commonwealth who have been failed by dysfunctional school districts.
This is particularly distressing here in Massachusetts, where the public schools in more affluent areas outside of the cities are some of the best in the U.S. And in Boston, where the performance of some charter schools now leads the nation. In an era where the theme of inequality frequently frames political debate, arguments against expanding charter schools ring hypocritical.
In some cases — such as samesex marriage — the political process eventually leans on the judicial branch to nudge society toward the next step in the inevitable progression.
A case now percolating in state court — Jane Does Nos. 1-2 v. James A. Peyser — argues on behalf of students not fortunate enough to “win” a charter school seat that the cap on the number of such schools is arbitrary and unconstitutional. Forward-thinkers in the commonwealth, though, should not rely solely on the judicial branch to open the door to progress.
The time is now right to reject the stubborn status quo and allow the public school system to evolve in the interests of the state’s perennially underserved students and their communities. John Sivolella teaches political science at Columbia University. Talk back at letterstoeditor@bostonherald.com.
It’s difficult to make the argument against charters when many of the state’s low-income students are betrayed by the status quo.