It is widely understood that as education goes, so goes the nation. That has never been truer than in our nation’s capitol today, where the transformation of the school system turned around a citywide trend of failure. Hundreds of families exited a traditional public school system they saw as woefully inadequate and ineffective, all to participate in a new and revitalized public charter school system.
During my time in the U.S. Senate, I took steps to ensure that in DC and in communities throughout the country, high-performing public charter schools would open and expand.
New Orleans, my hometown, was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The charter school model became a lifeline for neighborhoods and families to rebuild and to commit to a brighter economic future for all. We learned that education options and parental choice can be empowering, especially for families that lack the financial ability to do so in a traditional model.
When I recently learned that D.C. leaders wanted to limit opportunities for students to attend public charter schools because of “public impact assessment” issues, I was alarmed. A proposal that suggests charters should be subject not first to the needs of children and the hopes of parents, but instead to a cross-sector body to assess their “community impact,” is, in my view, disrespectful to the thousands of parents in the District of Columbia that have chosen public charters as best for their family.
Further, the stated priority to “align enrollment patterns” rings as out of touch with the fact that many families vote with their feet. They enroll in good schools and leave underperforming ones. Any community, including the District, should be investing time and money to expand and replicate high-performing public schools with long waiting lists instead of propping up failing schools.
Middle school is a pivotal time in any student’s journey. If students have not mastered advanced math, or if they are not reading proficiently, they are less likely to graduate from high school and go on to college.
Moreover, the community impact of charters is evident. They have reenergized the city and families choose them because of their quality. The efforts and orientation of city government should be to find ways to do more to reach communities that have not yet had the opportunity for full public school choice.
We should be expanding and pouring more resources into what is working and find ways to support schools doing the hard work to educate children from all backgrounds and racial groups, instead of threatening the exciting progress that has been made in D.C. over the last 20 years.
As I shared in my last speech on the Senate floor, “What breaks my heart is to walk into schools…and see children’s eyes just completely dulled….It breaks my heart because I know that not only limits their lives but it also limits the potential of our nation.”
I am grateful for all of our teachers and our school administrators. Let’s provide them a school system that rewards success and really supports those students that need the extra push. Our leaders should lean in to support excellent schools — traditional or charter — that work for students and their families who so want them to receive a great education.
Support for public charter schools has long attracted broad bipartisan support in Congress. This support continues in most states and communities. After many years of visionary D.C. mayors who prioritized education reform, I hope that today’s leaders continue to be standard-bearers for public education that puts the needs of students first, not those of the bureaucracy.
It is unfortunate that some are putting systems and bureaucracy ahead of the interests of children and families. I urge Congress to undertake a close review of current efforts that may undermine the School Reform Act of 1995.
I said when I left Congress that we should continue to fight for an excellent education for every child, regardless of family means or status. I support all schools that work toward that goal. Let us continue this effort.
Mary Landrieu is a former U.S. senator from Louisiana.