In this Education Week Commentary, Martin R. West and Bruno V. Manno claim it is inadequate school governance, and not deficient educational resources, that accounts for a lack of progress on national test scores. The use of charter schools, they argue, is one potential antidote to a stagnant public school system and low test scores.
The competitive and innovative nature of charter schools, West and Manno argue, could inject the support and attention necessary for sustaining successful accountability results required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
What do you think? Will the NCLB accountability measures lead to the growth and success of charter schools? Or are charter schools on a collision course with the federal education law?