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Glad to Have My Skepticism Validated about Denver’s “Boundary School” Idea

Last week I asked what Denver Public Schools was up to with a plan to change the enrollment policies for some of its charter schools, making them into “boundary schools.” What’s up with that?

When you’re 5 years old like I am, you can tend to be insecure about questioning authority so often. Thus I was pleased to see some of the quotes Denver Post education writer Jeremy Meyer posted on his Colorado Classroom blog this week:

Denver Public Schools’ recommendation to turn charter schools into boundary schools is getting national attention and some charter proponents are skeptical the idea will work.

“People are going to be watching,” Todd Ziebarth, vice president of policy National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. “It definitely cuts against one of the tenants of the charter law. The jury is still out on the effectiveness of that approach.”

Is that tenants or tenets? I don’t think anyone is paying money to live in the Colorado Revised Statutes. Anyway, there’s more:

Most charters are schools of choice, selected by families. Families select the schools because they have special programs that differ from typical district schools. They also operate outside of many district and union rules.

To some charter proponents, that act of selection is what sets charters apart.

“Choice is an important step in people’s minds,” said Jim Griffin, president of the Colorado League of Charter Schools. “They aren’t there because they were assigned. It didn’t just happen. By making that choice, they are making that commitment. It changes the psychology of everyone involved.”

It’s really good to be validated and see that I’m not alone. If the world has gone mad about education policy, at least I’m not the only sane one out here.