Alexander Russo, The Progressive Policy Institute
February 2005
The charter school scene in Ohio is akin to the classic spaghetti Western, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." As Alexander Russo reports, the "Good" in the Buckeye State's charter saga are: politicians who put themselves on the line to create space for charter schools in a hostile political environment, decent school operators who have started schools with minimal taxpayer support in some of the state's toughest neighborhoods, families who elect to enroll their children in these schools, and the 60,000+ students now attending one of the state's 230+ charter schools. The "Bad" include the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) and Ohio Education Association (OEA). Their weapons of choice are the lawsuit (both in state and federal court), the public smear campaign ("these bad [charter] schools are like 700-pound hogs at the dinner table eating everything in sight," seethed the Cleveland Teachers Union president in 2003), and relentless legislative action to curtail and set back charter schools. The "Ugly" are the few charter school operators who are cheating children by offering an abysmal education while paying themselves handsomely, the ineptness and inertia that prevents authorizers from closing bad schools, and paucity of decent data that prevents supporters and opponents alike from really knowing what's right and what's wrong with charter schools. In the movie "Good" eventually beats both "Bad" and "Ugly," but it's fascinating to watch the complexities of the struggle play out. The hope in Ohio is that Good is starting to win. A victory for the good guys in Ohio's charter school tale would mean a victory for the state's neediest children, and that really would be a great story. To read PPI's report, and Russo's insightful policy recommendations, click here.
