Let facts, not fear, drive school debate
By Vince Robinson
“As a lifelong resident, I’ve been blessed to experience much of what our community offers in terms of K-12 education. I’m a product of the parochial schools, and my three children have attended traditional public schools (including Fort Wayne Community Schools), a private school and a public charter school. I can tell you firsthand that our various school systems have many outstanding qualities, and I’ve been fortunate to be able to select the learning environment best suited to the particular needs of each of my children.
That’s what public charter schools are all about: Choice. In America, we don’t force parents into a particular store to buy a particular brand of shoe to put on their child’s feet. We don’t force parents into a particular restaurant to buy a particular meal to feed their child. Likewise, we shouldn’t force parents to send their child to a particular school regardless of whether it fits their child’s individual needs.
The right to choose is such a cherished American ideal that opponents of parental-choice rarely challenge it head on. Instead, they spread fear about how traditional school districts might be affected or they demonize private education companies – even those responsible for some of the nation’s highest-achieving classrooms. Choice opponents even attack school authorizers such as Ball State University, institutions with celebrated credentials in education and the innovative spirit to pioneer new teaching.
The Journal Gazette’s Feb. 25 editorial “Charters: What to expect” exemplifies the anti-parental-choice strategy. This fear-over-facts editorial obscures the truth about Imagine Schools to portray public charter schools as education’s boogeyman. Thankfully, the facts tell a much different story.
Ball State, the only university with the courage and vision to authorize public charter schools, has been an involved authorizer. University representatives visit schools. They attend every board meeting. Most importantly, BSU mandates levels of academic performance at every public charter school. Schools that don’t measure up don’t last. The fact that BSU has closed under-performing schools proves a level of accountability far above the newspaper’s inaccurate portrayal.
The newspaper’s portrayal of the local Imagine boards of directors is equally skewed. Imagine board members, a diverse group of citizens, educators and business leaders, work hard to advance student achievement and protect the fiduciary interests of Indiana taxpayers. Review the minutes of past board meetings or, better yet, attend a meeting and you’ll see the time and attention devoted to academics and fiscal accountability. The record also shows that board members participate in training in board governance.
But these facts pale before the most important fact of all: With public charter schools, parents get to choose.
All parents at Imagine MASTer Academy and 100 percent of parents at Imagine on Broadway choose to send their children to Imagine. Despite the fear-mongering of vested interests that would deny parents a choice to protect the status quo, a growing number of parents trust public charter schools with the most cherished part of their lives: their children.”
Vince Robinson is an Imagine MASTer Academy board member. He wrote this for The Journal Gazette.
Article published on March 3, 2011 in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.