INTEREST GROUPS' HOPES, FEARS AND EFFECTS
Sarah Godshall & Allison Padavan
ARIZONA
Proponents' Hopes
Charter schools will
: meet individual needs
: be laboratories for innovation
: be new professional opportunities for
teachers
: bring teacher autonomy and innovation
: bring competition to field of education
Opponents' Fears
Charter schools will
: lead to dropping of course work relevant
to current world
: not be worthwhile, as they only help a
small percentage of population
: result in the creaming effect
Political Coalitions Involved
Not Available
Interest Groups' Effects on Legislation
Not Available
CALIFORNIA
Proponents' Hopes
Charter schools will
: introduce competition
: give incentive for reform in the
educational system
: introduce choice
: introduce variety
: bring innovation to public schools
: provide more individualized, specialized
education
: liberate publicly-funded schools from state
and local education regulations
: serve as models for existing public schools
Opponents' Fears
Charter schools will
: threaten the high wages of the licensed
unionized teachers in public schools
: result in the creaming effect
: cause an outflow of money from public schools
to charter schools
: not result in needed reform
Political Coalitions Involved
: National Education Association (opposed)
: American Federation of Teachers (support)
Interest Groups' Effects on Legislation
: Teacher unions opposed to charter schools may have
encouraged the bill to cap at 100 charter
schools, with the hopes that this would
reduce competition.
COLORADO
Proponents' Hopes
Charter schools will
: provide more individualized education
: expand parental/teacher/and student choice
: provide innovation to combat the homogenous
nature of public schools
: encourage professional growth of teachers
: increase academic performance
: be held accountable, and therefore increase
emphasis on intended purposes of
specific schools in the educational
system.
Opponents' Fears
Charter schools
: violate the concept of neighborhood schools
and threaten equity
: are no more innovative than existing
districts' schools
: take away tax dollars in order to form
schools that would enjoy private
status.
Political Coalitions
: Opposition from administration led by appointed
administrator from Minnesota, Lew Finch
: legislators
: educational organizations
: residents
: parental groups
: Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB)
(conditionally supports)
: Colorado Education Association (conditionally
supports)
Effects on Legislation
: CASB has tried to form a bill compatible with
local district responsibilities and operations
GEORGIA
Proponents' Hopes
: Want to expand parental involvement in school
decisions to seek waivers and develop new
programs
Opponents' Fears
Charter schools will
: divert money from public schools
: create elitist schools and leave those in
need behind
: provide religiously offensive programs
Political Coalitions
: Governor Zel Miller (D) (supports)
: Freshman Republicans in the House during
passage of original bill (wanted
more autonomous legislation)
: group in the legislature, composed mainly of
Republicans, looking for less restrictive
legislation at the moment (supportive of a
law granting more autonomy).
: Georgia Association of Education (opposed)
: Religious right (opposed)
Interest Groups' Effects on Legislation
: Georgia's law remains one of the most restrictive
of all states
HAWAII
Proponents' Hopes
Not Available
Opponents' Fears
Not Available
Political Coalitions
Not Available
Effects on Legislation
: The law seems to serve as an institutional
measure to allow for the elimination of
bureaucratic regulations in specific
instances.
KANSAS
Proponents' Hopes
: Charter Schools will create school choice
Opponents' Fears
Not Available
Political Coalitions Involved
Not Available
Effects on Legislation
Law does not grant charter schools enough
autonomy; law termed "dead"
MASSACHUSETTS
Proponents' Hopes
Charter schools will
: foster innovation
: create accountability
: create choice
: encourage parental involvement
Opponents' Fears
Charter Schools will
: result in segregation, benefiting the
wealthier, more motivated students
: foster ethnocentrism (Academy of Pacific Rim)
Political Coalitions Involvement
: Massachusetts Teachers Association (opposed)
: Massachusetts League of Women Voters (opposed)
: Massachusetts Municipal Association (opposed)
: Education Association of Worcester (opposed)
: Massachusetts Association of School Communities
(opposed)
Effect on Legislation
: Opponents are currently seeking an injunction
prohibiting the use of tax dollars to fund
charter schools.
MICHIGAN
Proponent Hopes
Charter schools will
: have smaller classes
: have updated resources
: create competition
: create opportunities for disadvantaged
students
: foster innovation
: encourage parental choice/involvement
Opponents' Fears
Charter schools
: will fail to meet state minimum requirements
: take money from public school districts
: create the creaming effect
: are unconstitutional
: are not genuine public schools
Political Coalitions Involved
: Michigan Education Association (opposed)
: local teachers unions (opposed)
: American Civil Liberties Union, Michigan chapter
(opposed)
: Central Michigan University (in favor)
: Wayne State University (in favor)
Effect on Legislation
: TEACH Michigan, which is an educational reform
coalition, is seeking to amend the state's
constitution so it will allow for school
choice among both public and private schools.
: Teachers' unions, along with the ACLU, filed a
legal suit, claiming that charter schools are
unconstitutional because they use state funds
but are not regulated by the State Board of
Education. As a result, the charter schools
allowed under the original Michigan Public
Act Number 362 were deemed unable to receive
public finds. Following the decision, Michigan
Public Act Number 416. The Act allows for more
regulation by the state.
MINNESOTA
Proponents' Hopes
Charter Schools will
: foster innovation
: create competition
: increase school quality
: reach dropouts
: solve problems flexibly
: create choice
Opponents' Fears
Charter schools will
: Take money from districts
: create publicly funded private schools
: eliminate economies of scale
: create job insecurity for teachers
: offer lower salaries to teachers
: cause divisions among the faculty who will
not be able to agree on the benefits
and risks of specific charter school
legislation
Political Coalitions Involved
: Minnesota Education Association (opposed)
: Minnesota Foundation of Teachers (opposed)
Effect on Legislation
Due to union lobbying, charter schools need to be
organized by at least one certified teacher.
Only local school boards can sponsor a school.
Only eight charter schools are allowed and
their charter must be renewed after three
years.
NEW MEXICO
Proponents' Hopes
Not Available
Opponents' Fears
Feared charter school autonomy
Political Coalitions Involved
Not Available
Effect On Legislation
Restrictive; considered experimental
WISCONSIN
Proponents' Hopes
Charter Schools will
: give schools greater autonomy
: create choice
Opponents' Fears
: Charter schools will destroy public education
: Schools will be given too much autonomy
Political Coalition Involved
: Wisconsin Education Association Council (opposed)
: Department of Parents for School Choice (in favor)
Effect on Legislation
Restrictive legislation; 10% of teachers in district
have to approve before school applies for charter
status.