FORUM:
Identity Crisis

Charter schooling and test-based accountability both have their roots in concerns that public schools are not sufficiently accountable.

Charter schooling and test-based accountability both have their roots in concerns that public schools are not sufficiently accountable. But as both innovations take hold, a tension is emerging. Some charter schools believe they should answer only to parents and their mission and should be exempt from many of the accountability requirements that are imposed on traditional public schools.

In this forum, Michael Petrilli argues that charter schools, if they are effective, should not fear accountability, while Theodore Sizer worries that bringing charter schools under the NCLB framework will stifle their ability to innovate and develop radically different, and more promising, school models.

Charters as Role Models by Michael J. Petrilli
Don’t Tie Us Down by Theodore R. Sizer