Invisible Hand at Work for Chicago's Black Parents
Written By: Lee WalkerPublished In: Chicago Defender
Publication Date: March 30, 2007
Publisher: Chicago Defender
This Op-Ed originally appeared in the Chicago Defender on March 30, 2007.
One of the tragedies of black political leadership is that too often our leaders say they are working for the community but are in fact voting for someone else's agenda. Yesterday's vote on the issue of charter schools in the state assembly was case-in-point. State Representative Monique Davis (D-Chicago), vice-chairperson of the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, saw her proposal (HB 466) to cap the spread of charter schools go down to a crushing 32-77 defeat in the Illinois House. Charter schools enjoy the overwhelming support of parents - there are nearly 20,000 children on the waiting list for Chicago charter schools - yet Rep. Davis sided with the teachers unions in her attempt to shove the bill through the Assembly.
Why is a black state representative opposed to a charter program with 65 percent black enrollment? With all the talk of achievement gaps and abysmal school performance, legislators should be tripping over themselves to expand the program. Perhaps the more pointed question we need to ask is who loses when more charter schools are approved? The teachers unions tell us that Chicago Public Schools suffer but this claim is patently false. By reducing class sizes in CPS, charters schools could actually benefit our public school system. The real losers are the teachers unions, not students. Because teachers at charter schools are not required to pay mandatory dues, teachers unions lose their funding base as charter schools advance. So who does the public school system work for, students or union members? We should all be grateful that the state house yesterday stood with our children and against special interests.
Black parents should celebrate this victory and urge state legislators to go further and expand the number of charters allowable under state law. The ill-conceived ban currently preventing successful charter schools from opening new campuses should also be repealed. As recent studies have shown, Chicago's charter schools are outperforming other public schools in terms of attendance, test scores and graduation rates. Nationwide, charters schools now number more than 4,000 and they educate roughly a million students. Charter schools provide an important alternative to poor children who otherwise would be stuck in failing public schools.
One of the reasons charter schools are so effective is that they are released from the constricting school district bureaucracies and are instead evaluated on the basis of their performance. In Chicago, Mayor Daley has carefully screened charter school applicants and given the green light to only the most promising. Other members of Chicago's City Council are joining the crowd of charter school enthusiasts. Council member Coleman (16th Ward) for example, did not originally favor charter schools but after observing their success has since changed her mind. She currently has two charter schools in the 16th ward and might even incorporate one more. The bottom line for her is that all public schools must continue to improve.
Dr. Caroline Hoxby, and African American professor at Harvard University, recently completed a study of charter schools demonstrating their remarkable success. She said she undertook the study because unions were trying to undermine charter schools' record of success with flawed reports of student failure. The majority of students nationwide who attend charter schools are blacks and Hispanics and yet the very people who decry the plight of minority students are now attempting to squelch their best hope for progress. The Heartland Institute, a longtime advocate of charter schools, recently invited Dr. Hoxby to be a keynote speaker on the issue.
Monique Davis may have been bought off by the teachers unions, but Chicago's black parents can't afford to play politics with their children's future. Black parents received a gift yesterday when the Illinois House voted against Representative Davis' bill, and we should all be grateful for the demise of this truly awful piece of legislation.
Lee H. Walker is president of The New Coalition for Economic and Social Change and a senior fellow with The Heartland Institute. He can be reached at 312/377-4000 or lwalker@newcoalition.org
1 comment:
so a "one size fits all" approach to education isn't a winning strategy? How is this different from health care?
I'm all for charter schools. Public schools structured mass production approach is failing and doing it in a spectacular way. Money isn't the answer since little of it benefits the children, but goes to useless people occupying meaningless seats of mid-level pencil pushing, or worse yet the unions. Real world skills aren't the focus as much as good test grades and moving the children on down the chain to be productive members of a changing society. We're no longer an industrial nation and the public schools were made for teaching kids to fit into that system.
We need to take a hard long look at where we're going as a country and change the schools to fit that, or better yet get back to the basics in schools. Also, much less emphasis on sports, which is a distraction from the important things, a financial burden on the school system and money wasted.
I'd personally like to see the funds spent on sports go to things that encourage teamwork, problem solving, and creativity. Instead of organized sports why not a competition to solve problems such as energy issues, or to contribute to society, a garden or rehab of a community center...maybe the schools could compete for a scholarship instead of a trophy. Many lessons could be taught with that kind of thing that will actually benefit all those who participate.
rambling now, sorry,
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