Next ed

December 13, 2009 12:36 am

EDUCATING THE NEXT genera- tion is a perpetual challenge. A rare, bipartisan effort led to the federal No Child Left Behind Act nearly a decade ago. Now, another may be afoot: Both President Barack Obama and Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell both see the value of charter schools.

For Virginia, the timing is fortuitous. The Center for Education Reform gives the state an "F" for its charter school law, principally because local school boards must sign off on charters and there is no appeal process if one is denied. That could change once Mr. McDonnell takes office if he proposes legislation to loosen the constraints.

Charter schools receive public money but are freed from many rules, regulations, and other requirements in exchange for performance. The charter is a contract, usually three to five years in length, setting out the terms of the agreement. Charter schools may be established by parents, the public school system itself, universities, or even private enterprise.

Nationally, more than half of the students served by charter schools are considered "at-risk." And it is exactly these kids for whom the innovation works well. A new multi-year study by Stanford economics professor Caroline Hoxby of New York City's charter schools found that students who attend them do better than their peers in traditional schools. What's more, they bridge the achievement gap between inner-city and suburban students.

Ms. Hoxby looked at NYC charter schools covering kindergarten through eighth grade. The students were predominately black and overwhelmingly poor, yet their scores were the same as the suburban kids in math and nearly the same in English. And the charter school students were not cherry-picked--90 percent of them were chosen in a lottery.

Despite the data supporting charters, some school boards resist approving them. For one thing, taking kids out of traditional schools reduces the per-pupil funding from local governments. Also, the way the Virginia law is written, school boards may pull the plug at any time--a deal-killer for those who would be investing millions in startup expenses.

Well-run charter schools can bring innovation and flexibility to education. The incentive is built in--they must succeed or lose their charters. That's why fixing Virginia's charter school laws should be a top priority in the General Assembly. We owe it to the kids.