As a result, these charter schools either find new ways of obtaining more public and private money or remain extremely poor and barely able to survive. As a result, what charter school operators can accomplish is often related to the resources, connections, and political savvy that they bring to this reform. In this way, charter school reform pushes the public system toward greater privatization by creating what are essentially quasi-public schools. Charter schools also depend heavily on strong, well-connected leaders who can locate additional resources. This gives a heavy advantage to charters that enroll students from wealthy families since they can take advantage of these connections.
Advocates say charter schools give parents more choice.
But the UCLA study found that these schools exercise considerable control over this choice and the type of students they serve. Because charter schools do their own recruiting, information dissemination, and publicity, they can influence who learns about the charter. Furthermore, their policies on discipline, expulsion, and mandated parental involvement may discourage some families from applying or lead others to withdraw. Thus, some charter schools have more choice than do parents. Admissions requirements and processes, in general, allow charter schools to filter their applicants, to ensure that their shared values and beliefs about education are supported and upheld.