Much of the conversation in this comment thread assumes a public vs. charter school split. If my understanding is correct, these charter schools are public scho

Much of the conversation in this comment thread assumes a public vs. charter school split. If my understanding is correct, these charter schools are public schools. The distinction is that the charter schools have selection criteria. A public school with selection criteria is not, by itself, a bad thing. I love that schools like Stuyvesant HS and Bronx School of Science exist, but that's because we all know what their selection criteria are. I don't like charter schools pretending that the only thing it takes to be part of the school is winnning an entrance lottery. That might be the main way to get in, but it's not all it takes to stay enrolled. Many charter school advocates seem to be ignoring, or ignorant of, the fact that these schools actively weed out students who are difficult to reach. It's okay to build some schools that require a more serious commitment to learning; it's not okay to build schools like this and pretend they serve everyone, or do a better job than schools who have to keep every eligible student enrolled.