However, one particular regulation I think worthy is limiting class sizes, and Texas charter schools are exempt from class size requirements. Texas does not require charters to hire certified teachers, either, just as a number of other states also exempt charters from certification. Less oversight isn't good in those situations, especially when you have a for profit company making the decision to hire fewer teachers and increase its profits rather than smaller classes.
I have read some pretty good arguments over the last few years that certification requirements really don't mean much in terms of performance in the classroom.
I'm not sure how class size requirements and certification = oversight. They seem irrelevant to me. (Honestly they sound like union issues, the getting around of which seem to be one of the whole points of charters.)
I admit I don't know anything about for-profit charters - I'm not aware of any in my district, though I think there were problems with one in another part of the state. I think profit vs. not for profit is a separate issue from charters generally. I'd hazard a guess that the vast majority of charters are not for-profit.
One problem with the idea of school choice and the transfer of public monies to private schools and/or for profit charters is that there is no requirement that those schools accepting public monies accept any and all applicants/transfers.
Here in CO, that is not the case. The charters have to accept all comers, and if they're filled, the spaces are awarded by lottery. The charter application is identical, literally, to the application to attend the neighborhood school (birth certificate, proof of residing in the district, and immunization)
Universal education demands that even those who do not want an education receive the tools and lessons for one, and then our public schools are unfairly compared to those private and charter schools who get to skim the cream. Apples and oranges.
Where I admit there is an apples/oranges issue is in parental involvement. Parents who take the trouble to choose generally place a higher value on education. Parental motivation is a huge subject, that I have some thoughts on, but I can't write about them at this moment.
Yes, we need to do something to fix our schools, especially those which are corrupt. Unfortunately, corrupt school districts are often merely symptoms of the larger problem in this country, the apathetic citizenry (some school boards are elected with less than 10% of registered voters casting ballots). People complain about NCLB but don't connect it to the legislators who have personal or lobbying ties to the testing companies. We want teachers to be held accountable, but don't let little Johnny or Susie receive a bad grade or- heaven forbid- be held back a year. Polling consistently says people value educational issues, but we rarely actually turn out to vote on them. Unfortunately, we often get the government we deserve, and that is also reflected in our school systems.
I think I basically agree with this (except that perhaps retention often isn't a successful solution, but it's frequently the only solution available "inside the box" so to speak). Maybe I can flesh out my thoughts on that more later...
