Columnist Notes Success Of Some Charters, Says Unions Can Help Improve School Quality

Columnist Julie Mack writes in the Kalamazoo (MI) Gazette (10/26) that "'Waiting for Superman,' the new documentary by David Guggenheim that skewers American schools, has re-energerized the debate over the charter school movement, which the film implies is the silver bullet for school reform." But, Mack says the film "neglects to mention" that "the charters profiled in [the film] are the exception," and their successes are not found in the majority of charter schools, according to a 2009 Stanford University study. Mack also points out that "the three charters in the film that serve high-poverty students are successful because they go far beyond a traditional public school -- and, not so incidentally, they spend much more, too." Finally, Mack addresses unions, saying they can help "improve school quality: By enforcing better pay and benefits, they make it easier for regular public schools to recruit and retain the best instructors."