charter. The ability for parents to choose an education path that is best for their children is an
exciting opportunity currently revolutionizing public education.
Considering the importance of public education, it’s understandable that many people
would be hesitant to make changes to the system. Those opposed to school choice site concerns
that public schools would be traded in for profit based education corporations that care more for
financial profit than the individual education of students. Others site concern for what appears to
be government sponsorship of private religious schools through the funding provided by various
school voucher programs. Those against choice should be commended for demonstrating a
committed concern for the education of our nation’s children, but the overwhelming evidence
proves that school choice is the right direction for the future.
A characteristic of privately operated charter schools is the focus on success through
measurable achievement and accountability. Imagine again the one size fits all pants store, how
could they stay in business if another store offered various sizes and styles? Simple, they
couldn’t, not when faced with competition that provides a better choice for consumers. The
traditional public school system of the past had no competition. There was no incentive to
improve the quality of education they provided since there was nothing to measure it against.
The school choice movement for the first time introduced an alternative to poorly performing
public schools. Charter schools make a commitment, or charter, to achieve a measurable level of
educational performance within a defined period of time. This concept works and has produced
results in places like Chicago, where charter schools show better performance in ACT test
scores, high school graduation rates, and greater numbers of students continuing on to college
(Rand).