Who the other students will be

Education in many community public schools is so bad that irate parents are turning to charter schools. Michigan recently raised the cap on the number of permitted charter schools and, I think, the cap goes away in a few years.

Beside the dubious benefit of charter schools -- many are not better than public schools -- they are leading to another undesirable effect. Our schools are becoming more segregated. There are three reasons for this.

* Charter schools serve as neighborhood schools and most of our neighborhoods are segregated. That's an issue we haven't addressed yet. Many charter school companies will intentionally place a school in a minority neighborhood and woo the kids of that minority. That might be good for those kids, but it is still a segregated school.

* The choice of school, from a parent's perspective, depends on both what is taught and who the other students will be. School choice allows bigoted parents to take their kids elsewhere.

* When a charter school makes a choice available, not everyone can take advantage of the choice. Charters are exempt from laws that require schools to offer transportation, food for low-income students, specialists for developmental problems, or teachers for the non-English speakers. Great school, but for poor, autistic, or immigrant kids it's a false choice.

But the idea of school choice has taken hold, even in public schools, a toxic idea.

Now contrast that with Finland. No charters, no private schools, no school choice, no "reform" movement. All schools are public and all are adequately funded.