Scrutinize charter schools

Less than a decade after Utah's charter school experience began, there are more than 22,000 students enrolled in 57 schools.

This demand suggests that parents are looking for alternatives to large public school classrooms where their children may not be progressing academically, may encounter safety issues or suffer from a lack of individualized attention. These are strong arguments for the continued proliferation of this form of school choice.

However, charter schools are not a magic bullet to the issues confronting public education. They educate a small portion of the state's 510,000 public school students. In Utah's relatively brief experience with charter schools, a number of issues continue to vex school districts and charter school operators.

A new study on Utah's charter schools by the Utah Education and Policy Center, presented to state lawmakers on Tuesday, speaks to the adversarial relationships between charter and traditional schools. Some disagreements stem from competition for students, as well as school district liability concerns over charter schools within their boundaries that have to abide by health, safety and civil rights laws but have more flexibility with other regulations.

At the end of the day, charter schools are public schools. The public expects school districts to use their resources as fully as possible. That could mean permitting charter school staff to use district and state resources for professional development and other training of school employees.

Earlier this year, lawmakers imposed a cap on the state school board's approval of charter schools to five new schools a year while school leaders evaluated charters. Most study participants interviewed by researchers urged "responsible growth" of the number of charter schools statewide.

The Legislature's Executive Appropriations Committee requested research on the purpose, authorization, governance and training associated with charter schools. That was the focus of the UEPC report. Those researchers say more study is needed to determine how charter schools serve the state's diverse populations; to evaluate whether charters provide innovative practices not employed in traditional schools; and to compare the academic performances of charter school students and those educated in traditional classrooms.

Seemingly, a qualitative analysis is equally important with respect to further approval of school charters in Utah. If substantive differences in academic achievement are determined, the state should consider opening the door further and exploring means to replicate those experiences and outcomes in traditional school settings. If charter school students perform the same or worse than traditional students, a different legislative response may be warranted.

Given the explosive growth of the charter school movement in Utah, lawmakers are wise to take a step back and evaluate their effectiveness before lifting the cap on charter approvals. Choice is important, but not at the expense of accountability.