Dear Editor,
Charter schools – the devil's classroom? Or so it seems from labor rhetoric in Olympia. As Democrats promote charter schools, Washington Education Association (WEA) is livid with labor leader Ivan Weiss pledging to create a "living hell" for Democrats who support the move. Yikes. Really, a living hell? Let us look at the labor arguments. WEA President Mary Lindquist says in tough times we should not experiment with public funds. And she is right. But charter schools are not experimental any longer; they operate in 42 states and 14 countries. And we know how to evaluate charters and cancel the ones that do not work.
Another argument is from civics class: Washington voters rejected charter schools three times already. True enough. But some healthy fruit takes longer to ripen. Take equal rights for women. First proposed as a constitutional amendment in 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment still has not been ratified by a sufficient number of states. So "voters know best" may be too simple an argument.
A third concern is charters threaten our long-established approach to education. Finally! I attended, taught in and was a parent in public schools. I know public schools and they are not good enough. The calendar is designed so farm kids can help in the fields, and the pedagogy prepares factory workers to follow simple instructions. Schools have virtually no capacity to individualize instruction, they make abysmal use of technology, stultify creativity…we can barely prepare factory workers to follow simple instructions much less prepare whole generations for a rapidly changing world.
This is not the fault of teachers, administrators or anyone else for that matter. It is not a matter of fault at all. It is a question of how to dig out of a very complicated mess, and simply doing more of the same is not a promising idea. So I am prepared to stand in hell with Democratic legislators, progressive educators and with parents and kids who want better schools. Charters are not for everyone and will not solve every problem. But they are a promising step forward, a step we should take.
Ken Miller, Tacoma
