Charter schools are vital to an equitable education
The Gazette | June 5, 2024
The state Legislature recently defeated a bill that would have stripped charter schools of local control and subjected them to death by a thousand cuts. House Bill 1363 represented a dated and dangerous misconception that charter schools should be targeted for defunding and other hardships because they undermine educational equity instead of supporting it.
I know charter schools are integral to setting Colorado students up for success — especially students with unique needs and from underserved communities.
I am a firm believer in the importance of public education. Providing adequate and equitable funding for all students is not a partisan issue, regardless of personal beliefs. Closing the opportunity gap, a disparity in educational outcomes factoring in variables such as race and socioeconomic status, will require dismantling the system and a paradigm shift of nationwide beliefs rather than small bureaucratic changes.
Until the country can collectively commit to focusing on educational equity for all students, schools like Magón Academy provide a lens into what a community-driven, culturally grounded environment can achieve for student well-being. Further calls for the removal of students from the public education system will only perpetuate a cycle of misinformed, uneducated, and intolerant adults.
Colorado charter schools educate more than 135,000 students, about 50% of whom are students of color. Charter schools in our state produce better outcomes on average than traditional public schools despite receiving less funding per student.
Denver charter school students, for example, scored .96 points higher on national standardized reading tests and .6 points higher on their math tests than peers at traditional public schools, according to a 2023 study by researchers at the University of Arkansas. This is meaningful when you consider that Colorado charter schools have been funded at only 85-90 cents on the dollar compared to traditional public schools. Colorado consistently ranks in the lower half of states in per-pupil funding nationwide. Additionally, Denver students who spent 13 years at charter schools saw average lifetime earnings 12% higher per dollar invested in their education than traditional public school graduates.
Charter schools, with the ability to be nimble and tailor their offerings, are exceptional at meeting the needs of a wide variety of students, including those from underserved communities. The Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that charter students outpaced their peers in reading and math. Students from marginalized/minoritized backgrounds gained 23 days of reading and 17 days of learning in math compared to the same demographic of students in district-run schools.
Similarly, Black charter school students gained 35 days in reading and 29 days in math, and Latine charter school students gained 30 days in reading and 19 days in math compared to their peers in district-run schools.
