While the idea of charter schools is an innovative and inspired idea, I believe that it could be in the wrong direction. I don't mean to suggest that all charter schools are run by white collar thieves and con men, but I do believe that there is something inherently dangerous about combining a public need with a private model. The charter school assumes that public education is an outdated failure which has fallen behind and is by nature unable to succeed (at least on its own). However, education is a need in our modern world, and its only becoming more necessary as time goes on. Firefighters were once privately run in the United States, but I don't think that anyone wants to go back to the chaos that came with it. Security was a public need in the United States, only fulfilled by the 2nd Amendment which provided the right to own a weapon, but now we have police officers to keep people safe. Many people disagree, but I personally support the move by this administration toward public healthcare, the way that England and Canada provide for the sick and dying. This isn't to say that private forms cannot exist (private security and bodyguards are available, private schools affiliated with religious beliefs have been around for a longtime), but overall, public need is met with public institutions.
This article, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/09/05/why-charter-schools-need-better-oversight/ is a symptom of what I believe to be a greater issue. When a public need becomes an opportunity for major profit, it does increase competition, but it also creates a situation where charter schools will do anything they can get away with, in order to continue making more money. We need to be wary of the motives behind a business that collects public funds and "educates" children with it.
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