Faith in trad. public schools sinking, charter schools’ popularity climbing

Larry Sand of the California Teachers Empowerment Network deconstructs the state’s illiteracy epidemic, which has observed decreased enrollment numbers for local public education (and resulting fallout of school closures and budgetary struggles). Charter school enrollment has boomed (15,000+ Californian students added in 2020–21 school yr.), as parents like its nonunionized, flexible, and high-achieving model. What if charter schools were championed and protected as much as public schools, especially considering their role in solving California’s educational and financial gaps?

With sky-high taxes, a sieve-like southern border, and an ongoing flow of nutty regulations – one law targets cow flatulence, for example – California really doesn’t need any more bad news. But according to a recent report, the state now leads the country in illiteracy. In fact, 23.1% of Californians over the age of 15 cannot read this sentence. While part of the problem is due to the aforementioned porous border, much of the blame falls on the state’s failing public schools. For example, according to the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), just 30% of California eighth graders are proficient in reading. And that test, of course, was given before the highly damaging covid-related lockdowns kicked in.

Voters’ attitudes toward the state’s government-run schools have tumbled accordingly. A new poll from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies reveals that just 35% of the state’s voters gave public schools in their local district a grade of A or B, down from 55% in 2011. At the other end of the spectrum, 25% now grade their local public schools a D or F, up 15 percentage points from 2011. The poll included responses from 800 California voters with 50% identifying as Democrats, 26% Republican, and 24% independent.

Because of all the above, it’s no surprise that enrollment in California schools is sinking. In 2018-19, they lost about 23,000 students, but between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, public school enrollment in California dropped by more than seven times that figure, with 175,761 students leaving.

This article originally appeared in the California Policy Center. Read the whole thing here.

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