Gary Miron and Christopher Nelson
2002
Every criticism that has ever been leveled against charter schools can be found in this book. There would be nothing shocking about this if it weren't that Messrs. Miron and Nelson are researchers at the Western Michigan University's Evaluation Center, which is viewed by many as an impartial judge of charter schools and often signed on to evaluate them, in Michigan and beyond. What's Public About Charter Schools claims to "provide an in-depth examination of the charter concept as it has been operationalized in one of the nation's most populous states." Indeed it provides some useful analysis of how charter schools have worked in Michigan since 1993, but within each chapter the reader will also discover a subtle attack on charter schools. Some of these criticisms are fair, while others seem based more on bias or preference than an objective reading of the facts. For example, the authors appear upset that individual charter schools do not serve the needs of every type of young person a community might produce. They seem to equate public education with the concept of the large "comprehensive school" that could theoretically meet the needs of every kid in town-from those wanting honors courses to those content with taking vocational courses. No doubt such schools provide an economy of scale, yet it's common knowledge today that large-scale learning factories ill-serve far too many young people who slip through the cracks. In working with charter schools, one hears teachers, students, and parents say they value the smaller scale of charter schools because they believe it is easier for such schools to stay focused on their most important mission-helping children learn. It is true that charter schools often narrow their focus. They don't try to be all things to all children; rather, they participate in a philosophy of choice that encourages families with different priorities to opt for different schools. Miron and Nelson seem to think that every school should provide a full range of student services such as guidance counseling, health care, psychological services, social work, teacher consultants, and athletics. But is it really a problem that individual schools want to narrowly focus on teaching and learning? Miron and Nelson also claim that charter schools fail children with disabilities and, in Michigan at least, encourage "cream-skimming." Despite the rhetoric of empowering the consumer, the authors argue, charter schools select whom they want to attend while children and their parents take what they can get. This, Miron and Nelson claim, leads to social sorting and even downright segregation. In trying to explain why parents would tolerate these injustices the authors contend it's because they don't know any better. They write, "It is important, however, to distinguish between reasons for choosing and what actually exists at the charter school, especially since most of the parents chose their charter school before it was even open and would have had limited information about the actual quality of instruction that would be offered." The authors also believe that charter schools receive more funding than conventional schools, if one looks at "the true cost of educating different groups of students." They make this case despite the fact that charter schools in Michigan receive $1500 to $2000 less a year in actual funding per pupil. It's an interesting enough book, but it's unbelievable that those who wrote it are viewed by anyone as impartial on the subject of charters. You order a copy from Corwin Press for $29.95 (paperback) by downloading an order form at http://www.wmich.edu/evalctr/charter/order_form.pdf and/or e-mailing [email protected], calling 800-818-7243, or faxing 800-417-2466. - Terry Ryan