What happens when the government fails?
The failure of the government to provide quality education can be reasonably defended. More students from low-income communities are dropping out, segregation in public schools is increasing instead of decreasing, and graduates of public schools are unable to write at an acceptable level to secure gainful employment or to enter into higher education.
The federal government and state governments around the country have failed to deliver quality public education to the nation's students. What happens when the government fails? In this case, alternative organizations are usurping the government's responsibility and taking matters into their own hands.
There are currently dozens of organizations across the United States working to improve public education for all of the nation's youth, but particularly the under-served. For decades, students whose families can afford it have attended private schools or religious schools if they want different outcomes than those offered by their local schools. These schools are operated outside of the public system and must adhere to only some of the guidelines mandated by the state and federal governments for schools.
Now, systems are developing to serve youth who do not have the means to opt out of the public school system in favor of private education. This system is a network of charter schools, public schools set up outside of the traditional public school structure, specifically designed to serve the needs of youth from high poverty or low income families and communities.
Networks such as Aspire Schools of California, have served literally thousands of students who meet the government's definition of being impoverished. These students who attend Aspire Schools are much more likely to attend college than their peers in regular public schools, less likely to get into trouble with the law, and more equipped to ultimately be able to pursue their dreams of fulfilling and productive careers.
There are several different systems of charter schools like this one developing including the K.I.P.P. Charter Schools, The SEED Foundation Schools, and the YES Schools in Texas. There is even a competitive capital market developing for the funding of these schools, as evidenced by organizations like New Schools which funds promising charter schools and education programs outside of the typical public education program.
It's time for the federal, state, and local governments to catch up and provide quality public education, or risk being made irrelevant by outside entities. American children deserve a high quality education provided by the government.