Arkansas legislators are considering whether traditional public schools should be operated more like charter schools. On Monday a joint meeting of the Education committees approved conducting a study to identify best practices from charter schools that could be applied to public schools.
The publicly financed, independently run charter schools number about 40 in the state and are a growing part of the education system. State Representative Charles Armstrong proposed conducting the study.
The Democrat, representing parts of southwest Little Rock and Pulaski County, hopes the findings will lead to public schools more closely resembling charter schools.
“We want that same authority. We want to be on the same playing ground as the charter schools and have the same requirements. Teachers can do more in charter schools than the public school teachers can do and we want the same playing level,” said Armstrong.
Fellow Democrat and Little Rock resident, state Senator Joyce Elliot, said rather than just looking at whether to adopt charter school policies the study is an opportunity to evaluate the charter schools themselves.
“How effective are these schools? What’s the achievement in these schools? When we look at charters and then look at traditional schools, is the achievement any different?” asked Elliott.
Elliott pointed to the original purpose of charter schools as something legislators should consider while the study is conducted.
“Charter schools were not meant to be here as competition. Charter schools were meant to be laboratories exploring best practices that could be replicated in the traditional schools. We’ve not done that. We’ve set it up as competition, and choice, and so forth and that was not the idea. This might remind us of the original mission,” said Elliott.
The findings are expected to be presented to lawmakers at the beginning of January. The legislature convenes January 12, 2015. Representative Armstrong expects the study will lead to legislative action.
