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October 31, 2005 — Teachers unions, educators who oppose charters share blame for poor public schools.

Anyone tempted to feel too sorry for public schools, in light of the students and revenue they are losing to charter schools, should remember this: The public schools bear the responsibility for driving these parents and students away.

Much of what alienates Columbus Public Schools families amounts to poor management, plain and simple. A recent survey of parents who transferred their children from Columbus schools to charters showed that most parents have multiple reasons for leaving, but some problems are cited more often than others.

The most common of these, according to the study, are that they think the schools lack discipline, aren't safe, don't regulate students' dress and fail to communicate with parents.

These are not among the thorny, complex challenges with which public schools struggle. They are straightforward management issues that could be addressed with clear leadership, from the Board of Education to the superintendent's office to every school principal.

Other problems are harder to solve. The high poverty rate of Columbus students means too many are ill-prepared for learning or come from homes in which learning isn't valued. Getting more students to pass proficiency tests is complicated by these barriers faced by so many poor children.

Addressing some of the parents' concerns, such as not enough individual attention for their children, might cost money that Columbus schools don't have to spare. But establishing stricter discipline, dress codes, communication and better security is easier to accomplish. Columbus schools stiffened the dress code this year, but clearly officials weren't listening to parents until charters came along.

Before charters schools, they didn't have to, because most parents couldn't afford private schools and had nowhere else to turn. The emergence of charter schools has changed the picture, with predictable and dramatic results. Dissatisfied parents do have another option, and thousands of them are choosing it every year.

Critics of charter schools, including teachers unions concerned about losing members if public schools shrink, should stop worrying about the flaws in charter schools and commit themselves to solving the problems in the public schools, many of which are eminently solvable.

Originally published in the Columbus Dispatch.

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