Earlier this week, June Atkinson and those she appointed to the Read to Achieve Advisory Group offered a number of recommendations to improve the controversial reading program.
Buried in their recommendations was this gem: “Treat charter schools and non-charter public schools equitably. Currently, charter schools are not held to the same standards under this law.”
The NC Department of Public Instruction and the NC State board of Education have never showed any interest in treating “charter schools and non-charter public schools equitably” unless it served their ends, namely to harm charter schools and protect district schools. Charter schools are public schools too.
Of course, if the Read to Achieve recommendation ushers in a new era of equality among all public schools, I can think of a number of issues that demand equal treatment. School funding is one place to start. The “two strikes and you’re out” rule is another.
