While test scores and some other benchmarks are not yet meeting expectations, not all news in Michigan's charter school movement is discouraging. Charter schools have not skimmed the best students from other public schools, as critics had predicted. Twenty-two charters, about 18 percent, formerly were private schools. That's contrary to opponents' predictions that a huge wave of private schools would use the charter law to gouge taxpayers for public school money, by shutting down and reopening as charters. Charter advocates say parental demand for the schools remains strong, and that claim is supported by the steady enrollment gains and by long waiting lists, and dozens of new schools waiting to open.
Teachers here go the extra mile.
State Board of Education Chairwoman Dorothy Beardmore of Rochester gives charter schools a C-, so far. She says it's five years too early for a final report card. Some are doing good work. This is the five-year mark for the movement, but only eight schools are 5 years old. The technique represents some of the alternative teaching methods used in charter school classrooms.