Despite teachers’ unions’ opposition to public charter schools and their coziness to President Obama, the president proclaimed May 1 through May 7 as National Charter Schools Week.
“During National Charter Schools Week, we celebrate the role of high-quality public charter schools in helping to ensure students are prepared and able to seize their piece of the American dream, and we honor the dedicated professionals across America who make this calling their life’s work by serving in charter schools,” Obama said in a presidential proclamation. “With the flexibility to develop new methods for educating our youth, and to develop remedies that could help underperforming schools, these innovative and autonomous public schools often offer lessons that can be applied in other institutions of learning across our country, including in traditional public schools.”
Obama has issued a proclamation recognizing National Charter School Week every year he’s been in office.
While celebrating charters, Obama said low-quality charter schools should be shut down (a position many charter supporters hold). “We also must ensure our charter schools, like all our schools, are of high quality and are held accountable — when a charter school does not meet high standards, we need to act in the best interest of its students to help it improve, and if that does not prove possible, to close its doors,” he said.
Charter schools are publicly funded and do not charge tuition. Compared to traditional public schools, charters have more independence and flexibility in their operations and curricula, which is why so many families find charters desirable. They are open to all students, but they often don’t have enough space to meet demand. In that case, they use a lottery system to determine admission.
Obama also took the time to recognize teachers in charter schools, who typically aren’t unionized. “This week, we honor the educators working in public charter schools across our nation who, each day, give of themselves to provide children a fair shot at the American dream, and we recommit to the basic promise that all our daughters and sons — regardless of background or circumstance — should be able to make of their lives what they will.”
Read Obama’s entire proclamation here.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
