Potentially far-reaching decision
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling this week in the case of Carson v. Makin—out of Maine—holding that if a state created a program providing funding to students for private education, it could not exclude religious schools from the program. In an analysis of the ruling by University of Colorado political science professor Joshua Dunn, it is characterized as the latest in a series of blows against the federal Blaine Amendments. Dunn also notes that it could ultimately open the door to religiously-affiliated charter schools.
More court news
Meanwhile, a “super panel” of judges on the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling on the constitutionality of a North Carolina charter school’s dress code. While the specifics of the case will likely have wide ramifications in terms of civil rights inside and outside of the education realm, the decision is notable for specifying that charter schools are public schools and that certain protections apply equally.
Students need high quality charters
The CEO of Mind Trust published an editorial piece this week contrasting recent CREDO data—showing that Indianapolis charter schools are leading Black, Hispanic, low-income, special education students, and English language learners to more academic progress than their peers attending local, traditional public schools—with the federal government’s effort to impose new rules on the Charter School Program that would limit growth of this vital and proven educational alternative.
Poll numbers
Relatedly, a recent national survey of more than 5,000 parents of school-aged children, conducted by The Harris Poll and commissioned by NAPCS, suggests that education voters may be “the new swing voters” and that school choice is high on the list of their priorities. For an initial example, large majorities of respondent–more than 75 percent for each question—said they would consider sending their child to a public charter school if one were available in their area, want more public charter school offerings in their area, and support expanding the number of slots in existing public charter schools in their area.
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