Not everything in our nation's capital is a steaming mess. Just as in North Carolina, D.C.'s public charter schools are outperforming their traditional counterparts. The editors of the Washington Post think they know why. You see, Washington's charter schools are governed by their own board, and in the Post's opinion that board...
"...deserves credit for its insistence on successful outcomes. The board’s willingness to shut down schools that don’t perform — more than a third of schools since the start of charter reform — not only weeds out failing schools but helps set the bar higher for those that stay open."
Now, what was one of the main objections the anti-charter crowd had to an independent governing body for public charter schools? Something about foxes guarding henhouses?
And D.C.'s charters aren't just picking the low-hanging fruit either:
"Particularly striking was the performance of charters serving neighborhoods in economic distress; in some cases those schools actually outperformed schools in more affluent areas of the city."
The editorial goes on to give several examples. You can read it all at the link below.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/rising-test-scores-show-what-dc-charter-schools-can-achieve/2011/08/03/gIQAtU3K7I_story.html
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