Even a charter skeptic like my old friend David L. Kirp, the author of Improbable Scholars, Oxford University Press, 2013), which examines the success of traditional public schools in Union City, N.J., understands the rationale behind the state's takeover in Camden.
"In any place that didn't have such a consistent record of failing children, I would resist many of the steps that are being taken," he says. But the situation in Camden is so dire. And, critically, a focus on quality in charter schools is part of the package," Kirp adds. "So on balance this seems far and away the lesser of the evils...and may even turn out to be a good thing."
Labels: camden, charter schools