Professors Pen Opposing Views of Charter Schools in National Magazine

Two University of Arkansas professors were invited to write articles on their opposing views of charter schools for the August edition of The School Administrator magazine published by the American Association of School Administrators.

Public charter schools are public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools, according to the Arkansas Department of Education. The charter establishing each such school is a performance contract detailing the school's mission, program, goals, students served and methods of assessment.

Paul Hewitt, an assistant professor of educational leadership and former California school superintendent, wrote "Why I Don't Support Charter Schools." Hewitt contends that charter schools do not promote the ideal of providing every student with an equal educational opportunity.

"Charter schools that have highly rigorous and demanding programs will either scare away the most at risk or, if they should happen to enroll, they will quickly depart in a cruel game of Darwinian selection," Hewitt wrote.

Robert Maranto holds the Twenty-First Century Chair in Leadership in the department of education reform and has done fieldwork in more than 50 charter schools and two dozen traditional public schools. Both professors are on the faculty of the College of Education and Health Professions.

Maranto's piece, "Why I Like Charter Schools," argues charter schools offer a better option than traditional public schools for educating disadvantaged students.

"Where charters are allowed to flourish, as in Arizona with its 10 percent charter market share, they mainly help kids who need help and harm traditional public schools that need to be shaken up," Maranto wrote.

The feature in the magazine headed "Debating Charter Schools" also includes a short rebuttal from each professor to the other's article.

The special edition on the charter movement is available on the association's website.