The AJC had a story today about the Thomas B. Fordham Institute ranking Atlanta among the top 10 cities nationally for "school choice," which includes charter schools as well as private-school vouchers and public magnet schools.
The charter school community applauded the story, except for one quote from the head of state teachers' group. Here is the quote in AJC reporter Molly Bloom's news story that upset charter school supporters:
Turner said charter schools haven't delivered on their promise to be incubators of change. They can attract the kinds of parents more likely to be involved in their children's schools, siphoning resources away from traditional public schools, she said. And they can lack oversight, she said.
Among those upset with Turner's comment was Tony Roberts, president and CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association. He sent me a statement praising "Meria Carstarphen, the APS Board of Education, and the many dedicated staff and teachers of Atlanta Public Schools for their progress in improving the education of children by all practical means available—including public charter schools."
But Roberts blasted Turner:
Nina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, also shared her indignation with the comment:
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