Kevin Johnson, NBA All-Star and former Phoenix Suns player, founded charter schools in California. He speaks today at Maryland?s Fifth Annual Charter School Conference in Baltimore.
Why do you support charter schools?
For far too long, choice in public education was limited to wealthy individuals who had the means to ensure that there were options for their children. Poor and minority families did not have those same options, the ability to “walk with their feet” if the quality of their neighborhood schools was not high. What charters have done is ensure that all parents, regardless of their socioeconomic status, have the ability to choose a high-quality educational option for their child. I also support charter schools because they represent what is sorely lacking in public education: accountability. We have public schools in urban districts across this country that are failing to serve students. Yet year in and year out, they are able to continue on without any ramifications for the fact that they are not providing students with the education they deserve.
What do you plan to talk about at the Maryland charter school conference?
I plan to speak about our experiences in Sacramento with the “transformation” of Sacramento High, the city?s most troubled comprehensive high school. I?ll share our story, the results, lessons learned and implications for school reform more broadly in the nation.
What inspired you to start schools?
I was driven to start schools because I saw firsthand that our public schools in Sacramento were not serving students well. I know that kids in urban communities have significant potential. Whether or not they are successful has everything to do with what we, as adults, are providing them. After seeing my alma mater (Sacramento High) as a school that was continually failing students, I knew I couldn?t sit idly by on the sidelines.
