When Charter and Public Schools Are Pitted Against Each Other, Children Lose

With Betsy DeVos as the secretary of education and several education bills in the Texas Legislature, the debate about charter schools is in the spotlight. As someone who has been researching schools for more than 20 years, I can tell you that regardless of which side of the debate you may fall, pitting charter schools against public schools does not lead to better education for anyone.Research shows that most charter schools are not any more effective academically than public schools, and that there are many excellent public schools that provide numerous educational choices. Furthermore, there are parents and students who love their charter schools, those who love their public schools, and there are both charter and public schools where few parents would want to send their children.   Continue reading...