I guess I just am not sure what I think about charters like the one you describe, CAmom (and my kid went to one a little like that). It's particularly an issue because they DO often locate in areas where there is a paucity of options. Indeed, who can blame parents for doing whatever they can to get their kids in, LD or not?
I guess, well, if you're going to do it that way, then...it ought to be out there in black and white. We are High Expectations Charter School. Dyslexics and ADHD need not apply. Our high scores are at least in part a result of cherry-picking, so please do not base your political grandstanding on our apparent success.
In liberal MA, lots of towns with "good schools" keep their house prices high by mandating large lot sizes and setting aside land for "open space". This largely keeps out the poor and even the middle class as the average home price approaches $1 mil. The teachers' unions and administrators point to high test scores to show what a good job they are doing and ask for more money. Isn't that grandstanding?
Why pick on charter schools when the main alternative, neighborhood public schools, effectively select based on parents' income?
