Competition from charter schools can make public schools step up their game | Opinion
Recently, American Classical Academy – a K-12 charter school network that promises students a traditional liberal arts education – saw its applications for three new Tennessee charter schools rejected by local school boards. ACA appealed these decisions to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, but eventually withdrew its applications when defeat became obvious.
ACA has struggled to create stable school leadership and balanced budgets in the past. Resistance to the charter network might also have been influenced by state politics. ACA was founded by Hillsdale College, whose president, Larry Arnn, was caught on video making inflammatory comments about education schools earlier this year.
In the end, ACA didn’t make the cut, but that failure shouldn’t taint all charter schools. That’s because charters still hold enormous benefits for students.
On average, charter schools – public schools of choice that are operated as independent organizations – drive student learning. Evidence from the Volunteer State supports this. Studies conducted by Stanford University in 2015 and 2019 found that charter school students in Nashville and Memphis gained more days of reading and math instruction than students who attended traditional public schools in the same districts.
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But a more recent study reveals something interesting: The gap between students in Memphis charter schools and those in traditional public schools has narrowed considerably. This could be evidence that the presence of charters motivated the district to improve.
If so, it aligns with at least a dozen academic studies that show competition from charter schools has positive effects on the academic achievement of students who remain in traditional public schools. In fact, our organization – the Thomas B. Fordham Institute – found these competitive effects are so profound that they benefit entire metropolitan areas, especially for low-income, Black and Hispanic students. Perhaps that’s why another Fordham report found that the Memphis metro area ranked second in the nation in helping students make academic progress.
Despite these demonstrated benefits, charter schools face stiff opposition from entrenched bureaucracies. The Nashville school district in particular has a history of rejecting charters, even those with proven track records, such as KIPP. Thankfully, the Charter School Commission recently overturned one of these rejections by an 8-0 vote.
Expect even more pushback from the education establishment when Tennessee’s new school funding model goes into effect. In the new system, state funding will follow individual students to their schools of choice rather than automatically flowing into the coffers of their residentially-zoned districts. If students in failing schools begin fleeing for charter schools, the pressure will be on school districts to improve their lowest-performing schools or risk taking a financial hit. It will be a victory for students, as well as for charter schools, which were disadvantaged by the expiring formula.
And right on cue, there are stirrings from Public School Partners, an anti-charter organization. Among its leaders are a former Nashville school board member and a Wilson County superintendent. The funder of its research on the supposed fiscal impacts of charter schools? The Tennessee Education Association, the state’s main teachers union and another perennial opponent of charters.
Don’t let these entrenched interests keep Tennessee students from the benefits of charter schools. The State Commission should continue to fairly evaluate appeals, even if some schools won’t make the cut.
Michael J. Petrilli and Nathaniel Grossman are president and editorial and program associate, respectively, at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Opinion: charter schools can make public schools step up their game
