by Eva Clark

Created on: April 29, 2009

Should states allow charter schools?

Since our wonderful Constitution of the United States of America handed the reins of public education protection to the state, we have had to assume that the state was taking care of public education. One of the many fine points that came from Brown v. Board of Education noted that an unanimous Court recognized "education is perhaps the most important function of the state and local governments."...This makes sense to me, because what better way is there to ensure the success of your citizens? To promote an educated vote? The state, in my opinion, should be about the business of protecting public education, rather than supporting charter schools, in any way.

Education, unfortunately, was not among the rights which were secured with explicit protection under our United States Constitution, but I do believe that the implied protection of public education was still, in its essence,given to the states. I think that most people have a sort of historical dedication to the support of public education, mainly because our forefathers thought it was a good idea to provide free public education to all its citizens. The federal government then handed the licensing, operating, and overseeing of the schools to the state and local levels. Good idea then, but the state and local administrations started to become lax in their strict scrutiny of the public educational systems within their jurisdiction.

I often feel that the public is angry with itself for not having done something before the ravishes we are now seeing, happened. How could we have let this happen? Are things really as bad as the headlines scream? What can be done? The public is not responsible for what the state departments of education, all over this country,have allowed to happen to our public education system. The states should have practiced the strict scrutiny principle over the local school districts. Even if the law is implied, again, I believe that the oversight of our public education rests in the hands of state governments, and, in my opinion, the states have failed the public, miserably. Had the states done their jobs, the local districts would have done theirs, or risk being shut down. The public should have been well informed of failing districts, by the respective state departments of education.

Also, teachers in all public schools throughout the state have to be certified, at least by the state in which they practice. Every teacher who teaches in public schools

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