When I was in middle school, friends and I would play tackle football in the park. One kid chosen by the other team, Billy, was an excellent athlete. Their quarterback, Paul, often touted his play-calling skills, convincing us his strategy was why his team kept winning. Later, I realized how silly this was, as Paul would fake here, deke there — then hand the ball to Billy, who would run right by us.

Charter schools’ success is like Paul’s — they boast of their innovations and ideas, but they “win” because they cherry-pick their students.