In the New York Times, Democratic presidential candidate Senator Cory Booker writes, “Many public charter schools have proved to be an effective, targeted tool to give children with few other options a chance to succeed. …The treatment by many Democratic politicians of high-performing public charter schools as boogeymen has undermined the fact that many of these schools are serving low-income urban children across the country in ways that are inclusive, equitable, publicly accountable and locally driven.”
In the Winter 2020 issue of Education Next, “Democrats Dodge a Charter Question—and for a reason,” Martin West writes about how and why the other Democratic presidential candidates dodged the charter school question during a recent televised debate. West writes: “Only Cory Booker, whose deep involvement in a charter-heavy turnaround effort as Newark mayor leaves him little alternative, proved willing to offer a positive word. ‘We closed poor-performing charter schools,’ said Booker, ‘but dagnabbit we expanded high-performing charter schools.’”
— Education Next
