California Charter School Breaks Away from District

In spite of opposition from some members of the Ross Valley School District (RVSD), the California State Board of Education (CBOE) unanimously approved the transformation of an alternative education program into the Ross Valley Charter School. As the Heartland Institute’s School Reform News reporter Ashley Bateman recently wrote:

Vicki Alger, a research fellow with the Independent Institute, says RVSD students—who live in Marin County, which is located in the northern region of the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA)—have fewer alternatives to government-run schools than other California children.

“More than 9,900 students are currently on charter school waiting lists throughout the [San Francisco] Bay Area, and Marin County has fewer charter schools than most other [SFBA] counties,” Alger said.

Alger says California charter schools have a proven track record of producing a higher level of student achievement.

“California charter schools, in general, have a strong record of success,” Alger said. “They have higher median performance on the state accountability system than traditional public schools, and charter schools serving historically disadvantaged students are more likely to be among the state’s top-performing schools.”

A cardinal rule of effective education policy is that parents need more, not fewer, options when it comes to their children’s education.

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For the authoritative examination of the history and impact of the U.S. Department of Education and the need for innovative reforms based on educational choice and opportunity, see the Independent Institute’s widely acclaimed book, Failure: The Federal Misedukation of America’s Children, by Vicki E. Alger.