Close Those Charters, Dangit!

I just wanted to briefly follow up Sarah’s earlier post about Ohio’s threatened closing of some of its charter schools. While I do agree that the state should also consider closing traditional public schools that have a history of failure, I think it is a signal of success that Ohio’s charter program is looking to shut down some poor performers! A fundamental principle of school choice is that some schools will succeed and endure, but others will do poorly and close. It’s true that there should not be a double standard that allows awful traditional schools to continue while similarly awful charters are eliminated, but let’s appreciate the fact that these closings actually represent a step in the right direction.