Letter to the Editor: School Competition

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Washington Times
Letter to the Editor: School Competition
By Naomi Rubin Deveaux
January 22, 2009

Stuart Butler's article ("Florida's school strategy a success," Nation, Friday) was correct that more than a quarter of Washington students attend public charter schools, but understated their student enrollment and popularity. In fact, more than one in three District students attend these self-governing schools. Thousands more are on waiting lists trying to get in.

Publicly funded, nonselective and independently run, these unique public schools also provide more education than their share of the student population suggests. The share of secondary-school students who are proficient at reading and math is more than 25 percent higher in D.C.'s charter schools than in District-run public schools.

More significantly, public-charter secondary-school students who receive school-lunch subsidies are twice as likely to score at grade level or above in federally mandated tests as their peers in city-run schools. No wonder President Obama has said, "I think we should foster competition within the public school system with charters."

NAOMI RUBIN DEVEAUX
Director of Academics
Friends of Choice in Urban Schools
Washington

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