Dive Brief:
- Detroit has been pushing the limits of the school choice argument that more is better, with charter schools multiplying to create a highly competitive environment where schools must spend money on aggressive recruitment instead of academic services.
- In a massive piece on the state of Detroit public education, The New York Times reports the influx of charters — which are not subject to any caps and can be approved by schools, community colleges or universities — has created more chaos than competition, forcing too many schools to compete for too few resources and leaving little opportunity to thrive.
- Even the lowest-performing charters have been free to expand, and with few parents able to navigate the myriad of opportunities to find a good school, students often end up switching from one to another throughout the year, leaving their educations — and school budgets — in flux.
Dive Insight:
As the 25-year anniversary of the creation of charter schools approaches, cities and states are taking stock of their own charter school landscape, reflecting on how the new model has transformed their systems.
In Minnesota, where “chartering” was first conceived, the model has had a relatively subdued effect on school systems because of how charter schools are approved. In Michigan, for-profit operators have descended on the system with twin goals of making money and educating children. Unlike in Minnesota, where the teachers union approves new charter proposals, Michigan’s education institutions have that right, along with a cut of the money the schools will ultimately receive from the state. They get a financial incentive to approve as many schools as they can.
The problem with choice in places like Detroit is that the people “choice” is most aimed at helping — low-income families, often black and Latino ones — often do not have the skills to navigate such a complicated system that would allow them to make informed choices. These parents are often left asking for fewer choices and better options.