Citizens for Responsible Education Reform
Though charter schools are a relatively new concept, they are making great strides in improving and reforming public education. Initial reports show parental satisfaction is high, students are eager to learn, teachers are enjoying teaching again, administrators are set free from bureaucratic red tape, and more dollars are getting to the classroom.
CRER supports the concept of charter schools, and Congress' interest in providing an environment in which they can flourish.
Charter schools continue to be well-received by parents and teachers alike, because they cut red tape and let teachers get down to the business of actually teaching what parents and communities believe is best for their children.
CRER does see one area of concern, however. The monolithic teacher unions, having realized this movement could not be easily stopped, have begun to champion charter schools within the public sector. Because both the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have been notorious at blocking virtually all serious attempts at education reform, their quick grasp of this issue is cause for caution, if not alarm. We at CRER do not want to see the unions overtake the movement and ground it into the same status quo mentality that currently occupies much of the rest of American public education.
Finally, CRER believes charter schools provide an opportunity not terribly dissimilar from the fuller realm of true school choice. We hope to see the private non-profit and for-profit schools take their place in a competitive education establishment in the foreseeable future. For now, charter schools seem a step in the right direction.
Charter School Amendments Act of 1997
Charter School Research
U.S. Charter Schools
The Center for Education Reform
U.S. Department of Education: A Study of Charter Schools
The Educational Excellence Network
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