Smith: A Few Thoughts About John Oliver’s Bleak, Unrepresentative Sample of Public Charter Schools
I have a strong admiration for John Oliver’s passionate rants. Therefore, it deeply affects me to admit that my heart feels heavy after watching his incredibly humorous yet slightly biased criticism of charter schools.
What is most agonizing is that I agree with many of Oliver’s points: Charter schools should not be treated as frivolous businesses and should never be so poorly managed that they have to close within the first month.
It is not acceptable for an administrator to embezzle funds and then use Bible verses as an excuse. Moreover, it is absolutely unacceptable for someone to obtain a charter by copying language from another successful applicant.
If these issues were truly reflective of charter schools as a whole, I would have disassociated myself from the movement a long time ago. However, that is not the case, and I have not given up on it.
Now, it is important to note that the writers at Last Week Tonight are not statistical experts, which means they presented an unrepresentative sample. With the exception of mentioning KIPP’s graduation rate, the entire segment consisted of horror stories, some of which date back to 2010. This level of cherry-picking has not been seen since Dick Cheney manipulated the Iraq briefings.
To illustrate this point, let’s consider some simple math: There are currently over 6,600 public charter schools across the country, educating approximately 3 million children. All of Oliver’s stories combined only represent a small percentage of that total. The majority of charter teachers and administrators go to work every day with the intention of doing what is best for their students. Although it is terrible when children are left stranded due to a school closing shortly after opening, it is worth noting that only 3.4 percent of the 642 new public charter schools that opened in 2014 closed before the end of the year.
To clarify, we should not apologize for closing schools that fail to provide a proper education for their students. This is part of the charter school model and is done to protect the public interest. In contrast, traditional school systems often fail to address the issue and simply ignore it.
Speaking of research, it seems that Oliver selectively used data on the show. His main source was CREDO, a research organization at Stanford University known for conducting comprehensive analyses of charter school performance. However, he failed to mention CREDO’s finding that the charter sector made significant progress between 2009 and 2013, largely due to the closure of underperforming schools.
Another research finding that Oliver missed is a recent study by CREDO that analyzed 41 urban regions and discovered that urban charter schools consistently achieve better results in both math and reading compared to traditional public schools. On average, charter schools provide an additional 40 days of learning growth in math and 28 days in reading. Considering that around 60 percent of charter schools are located in cities, it is clear that Oliver overlooked a significant piece of information.
Here at the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), my colleagues and I dedicate a significant amount of time to ensure that the excellent work of the charter school movement is not undermined by the bad actors depicted in Oliver’s segment. While there is still much work to be done, we should not disregard the progress that has been made simply because it may ruin the humor.
For example, the show prominently featured Florida, but it fails to acknowledge that the state has implemented new professional standards for charter authorizing.
Similarly, Ohio recently passed a major overhaul of charter school accountability, which includes stricter conflict-of-interest rules and increased transparency regarding management-company expenditures. They have also implemented a rigorous authorizer evaluation program to ensure oversight is properly executed.
However, Pennsylvania was rightfully criticized as it needs to address its outdated charter laws, just like some other states.
As Jon Stewart once said, "The Internet is just a world passing notes around a classroom." Within a day of the show’s airing, the Oliver segment on YouTube had already garnered over 600,000 views. It was undoubtedly an entertaining show that addressed important matters, but I sincerely hope that viewers understand that charter schools are taken very seriously by the parents of 3 million children.
