This long article from Sunday’s New York Times Magazine does a decent job of discussing the achievement gap between white and black and rich and poor students, and, for those interested in the issue, I recommend it.
The article touches on a number of issues related to the achievement gap, including an extended discussion of research on psychosocial factors involved. But the discussion of the success of charter schools in closing the gap is key.
There are a few glaring problems with the author’s take on charters, which will stand out to those who take the time to read the piece. For example, the author’s contention that charter schools are “one of the most controversial educational experiments of our time” is bogus. The term “experiments” is a derogatory term used by opponents of charter schools to suggest that charters lack the purity of government schools. (It is a form of essentialism – the idea that government schools and charter schools have intrinsically different natures.)
In addition, charter schools are only “controversial” to those who cannot fathom life without a government school monopoly. According to the latest PDK/Gallup Poll, they are quickly becoming the minority. Public approval of charter schools has climbed from 42% in 2000 to 53% in 2006.
That reminds me. If you would like to hear more about successful charter schools, attend tomorrow’s talk by Joanne Jacobs, education journalist and author of “Our School: The Inspiring Story of Two Teachers, One Big Idea, and the School That Beat the Odds.”
