Level the playing field, making charter schools subject to the same regulations and standards that public schools are. Charter schools should only be added in areas where the enrollment in the public schools is exceeding capacity. The Charter School movement has arisen out of a "manufactured crisis", as opposed to a real one, and is backed largely by such enemies of Public Schools as the Religious Right and other politically conservative entities pushing for vouchers and other misguided attacks on what they perceive to be politically "leftist" teachers unions.
Charter schools are really a stealthy (sneaky) way to implement vouchers, a BAD IDEA that the right wing has never been able to sell to the public any other way, so now they are sneaking it into our society under the guise of charter schools.
DON'T BE FOOLED when the Republicans produce Black Americans from urban areas who are happy with vouchers...they are being USED by the enemys of our public schools. We shouldn't simply "rescue" children from "bad" schools. We should devote the time, attention, and resources necessary to fix those schools! But don't expect to hear that from the Republicans!
Click here for an archived version of the Frequently Asked Questions about vouchers answered by the California Alliance for Public Schools.
The NEA Charter Schools Overview
Virtual Charter Schools
A new threat to public schools has been concocted by the anti-public-education crowd:
"Virtual Charter Schools." A chief proponent is William J. Bennett, an
arch-conservative who has now found yet another way to attack the existing public
school system. Here's a link exposing some of the pitfalls:
Fact Sheet: How Virtual Charter Schools Threaten Public Schools