The Biden Administration Is Right: Charters Need to Be More Accountable

Expecting the charter industry to look at its impact on the community is just common sense

By Jitu Brown & Randi Weingarten — June 15, 2022

Jitu Brown is the national director of Journey for Justice, an alliance of grass-roots community-, youth- and parent-led organizations in 23 cities across the country demanding community-driven alternatives to the privatization and dismantling of public schools. Randi Weingarten is the president of the 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers, which represents educators at more than 250 charter schools. She co-founded the University Prep Charter School in New York City.

Charter schools have been part of the fabric of public education in the United States for decades. Like a patchwork quilt, there is a great deal of variation among them. Some have a history of improvements to student achievement, while others have been ineffective or even harmful. Some charter operators are fiscally responsible, while others have been deemed incompetent or fraudulent.

Read the rest of the piece here.