Charter school politics flared this week, all along I-95.
A South Florida columnist called for a moratorium on the construction of new charter schools. A Rhode Island newspaper urged readers to embrace them. Maryland charters didn't all agree on pending legislation.
The spotlight shone brightest in Harlem — namely the jaw-dropping results and polarizing tactics of Success Academy charters.
Perhaps the views of pundits critiquing and defending Eva Moskowitz's high-profile chain of charter schools should have taken a backseat to those of parents.
Respect parents' decisions. That's what Mike McShane told Richard Whitmire on the matter of shutting down mediocre charters.
For those who respect the desires of parents, the debate over "backfilling" for charter school students is one worth having. The tension between student access and school autonomy is real. This week it got attention from politicians, at Success Academy and elsewhere.
Meanwhile...
The march of private school choice continued. A tax-credit scholarship bill headed to a supportive Nevada governor, Maryland's governor stood behind a proposed a $5 million scholarship program, and we learned New York's tax credit debate could get "nuclear."
Quote of the week:
"They poked a bear that didn't need to be poked," — Shawn Frost, an Indian River school board member about the Florida School Board Association's lawsuit to end tax-credit scholarships in Florida.
You can feel free to poke us, anytime, via email. Send suggested links, tips, gripes and suggestions to [email protected]. Patrick Gibbons helped compile this post, and would like to hear from you as well.
