Charter Schools: EVALUATION OF K-12 EDUCATION

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Student’s Last Name 1 EVALUATION OF K-12 EDUCATION SCHOLARLY SOURCE 1. Charter schools have grown tremendously in recent years. It is a school system that is publicly funded but runs independently of the school district. They are founded and run by independent parties such as parents, educators, community groups, and entrepreneurs. The article seeks to assess whether charter schools fulfill the principles of distributive justice. The three principles of justice studied in the article are; the adequacy principle, the equity principle, and the communicative principle. It also examines the accuracy of the commonly-held assumption that charter schools are more effective than public schools because they focus on identifying the students’ strengths and leverage them. The article proceeds to argue that charter schools are more successful because of their communal mode of operation.

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Student’s Last Name 2 According to the article, a good schooling system should communicate to students the message that they are recognized and respected. It should help bridge society's wealth gap by providing individuals from different walks of life equal opportunities. Charter schools are better than public schools because they can better achieve this goal (Strike, 2010). 2. This article responds to arguments raised by authors such as Brighouse concerning the reasons why charter schools are more successful than public schools (Strike, 2010). One of these reasons is that parents, educators, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders that have a direct interest in the students’ learning and wellbeing are directly involved in decision making. The management of public schools, on the other hand, is done by a large bureaucracy, thus making decision making lengthier and more complicated. The article also responds to arguments about the impact of school choice on an individual’s economic and outcomes. The schools an individual attends at elementary and secondary level determines their life prospects. Social class, wealth, career options, income and access to higher education are a direct consequence of the schools they attend when they are younger. It is imperative that students are provided schooling opportunities that prepare them for a more fulfilling adult life. 3. To defend the thesis, this article uses Hoxby and Murarka’s study of achievement in New York City’s charter schools. It backs the assertions and arguments that these authors raise about the justice of educational policies and practices in charter schools. In its analyses of the authors' work, the article examines two central points. Firstly, that NYC charter schools are mostly located in impoverished black neighborhoods where the surrounding schools offer a lower quality education. Secondly, the article also responds to Hoxby’s and Murarka’s claim that


Student’s Last Name 3 students perform better in reading and math in charter schools compared to public schools because charter schools promote competition in learning (Strike, 2010). This article provides evidence of the article’s claim that charter schools promote the three principles of justice; that is the adequacy principle, the equity principle and the communicative principle. 4. The author concludes the work by listing the reasons why he believes charter schools are more successful than public schools. He believes that the stakeholders of these schools act in unison, thus their decisions and actions concerning the students’ learning are more effective. Participants of the charter school system also act in unison because they are like-minded. There is less bureaucracy and more autonomy. He asserts that students are more participative in the learning process when they believe that the school system not only values them, but also values them equally. The article leaves room for further research on how students of charter schools perform in adulthood compared to their public school counterparts. For instance, are they better citizens? Are they more likely to live self-directed lives? Do they have more fulfilling careers? Are they able to achieve a better work-life balance? (Strike, 2010) 5. I believe the article was convincing because it draws evidence from other authors whose research on the topic is also thorough. I fully agree with the assertion that the quality of education that a child receives at the elementary and secondary school levels determines their life outcomes. I agree with the article's claim that access to good education helps reduce achievement gaps between the poor and richer members of society, therefore also leveling achievement distribution. Based on the findings of this article, I believe that charter schools are a crucial


Student’s Last Name 4 option for students from disadvantaged communities, who would otherwise not have access to opportunities for good-quality education. 6. Despite their proven effectiveness, the number of charter schools is much less than public schools, and only a small fraction of students have access to them. Therefore, in my own research paper, I would respond to the article by examining the characteristics of charter schools that can be integrated into public schools, especially in impoverished areas such as poor black neighborhoods. To truly achieve equality in education, it is crucial to focus research on the aspects of schooling that perpetuate poor learning outcomes. This can be done by performing a comprehensive comparison of charter schools and public schools and what makes the former more efficient than the latter.


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Works Cited Strike, K., 2010. Charter schools, choice, and distributive justice: What evidence do we need?. Theory and Research in Education, 8(1), pp.63-78.


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