A very dear old friend from Boston visited recently, a die-hard liberal (actually he calls himself an anarchist). We used to do college radio together. Chuck was an awesome buddy to our two kids that night, and we partied hearty. We also jousted over Bush and Iraq, and all that. He's a former public school bus driver, and at one point asked (hopefully, I think) if my son attended a public school. I reported no, he goes to a non-denominational private school because my wife and I feel the public schools in Seattle are just too dicey. Chuck raised his eyebrows slightly, but said no more on that topic.

A few weeks later our soul-pals Mark and Ellen visited from Weehawken, NJ. Another great time, and more spirited disagreements about Bush and Iraq (I'm pro-George, they're definitely not). One twist, though. Their eldest is in a public charter school, which they swear by. Without it, they said, they'd be essentially screwed. That some parents and educators far removed from The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy support charter schools is something I've seen here in Seattle, as well.

As the following news and commentary round-up shows, charters continue gaining momentum around the country.

The Boston Globe's Scott Lehigh today shoots down two canards about the very special, and demanding public schools called charters: they they supposedly skim the cream (best students only) and don't serve special needs kids. He goes a step further and argues that public charter schools in Massachusetts should be expanded, over the entrenched opposition of the teachers union.

My respect for tennis star Andre Agassi is immense after reading this piece in today's NY Times. It's about a charter school he started in his hometown of Las Vegas. The school district is the nation's sixth largest and among the lowest-performing. At the Andre Agassi College Prepatory Academy, the student body is 96 percent non-white and the school day is eight hours, not six.

...Agassi Prep students are required to wear uniforms and repeat a 'code of respect' daily. Both parents and students must sign 'commitment to excellence' contracts.

'We expect a lot from our children,' Mr. Agassi said. 'And when you expect a lot from a child, it means that you think a lot of that child. I think that our standard of expectations teaches these children that they should expect a lot from themselves.'

There've been a few administrative snafus, now being worked out, and test results show definite progress for kids who would have otherwise been left behind.

In California, a state legislative committee has just passed a bill that would allow universities and colleges to serve as sponsors of charter schools. Nationally, that key role is too often granted only to local school districts, many hostile to charters. The Sacramento Bee editorial board is all for the bill, but worries - appropriately - it contains too many restrictions, as currently drafted.

Still, charter backers and proponents of high-stakes testing are driving the debate on bringing America's public schools up to global speed. Charter opponents standing on the sidelines and crying 'foul' are marginalizing themselves.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at April 21, 2004 11:32 AM

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