Since accepting the position as President of Edison Charter Schools, many have asked me "What is a charter school?"

To begin with, it is a public school funded with public dollars.

The reason they have come into being is the demand of many urban parents for more educational alternatives to the traditional public system.

Charter schools should not be confused with vouchers — which are viewed by many as another choice, but more often than not, do not receive public monies.

A number of philanthropists like Ted Forstmann and John Walton have invested some of their personal fortunes in voucher programs. Usually the money is paid directly to parents who apply it to the tuition at a school of their choice. Rarely do vouchers pay more than a minor portion of the cost of educating the student.

Charter schools on the other hand are created by state legislatures out of a concern for a quality, equal educational opportunity for every child. They embrace the historical philosophy of American public education – the preparation of each child to become a contributing member of society.

However, in America today there are myriad issues relative to public education that have made charter schools a necessity. Too many young people are graduating unprepared to function in the highly competitive society that America has become. Large numbers of students are ill-prepared for higher education. Standardized test scores at every level are far below the norm, and worst of all, many graduates are unemployable.

Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker; who was chief of staff to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and is pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in Harlem, says of today’s public school graduates: "They are ill suited to productive and meaningful employment and thus are consequently demoralized, without sufficient self-esteem, and inevitably become a negative statistic of one sort or another in our communities."

The only way to reverse this trend is to create viable alternatives that do not destroy, but rather, help to make public education better.

Charter schools represent a viable, state legislated construct for the delivery of a quality equal educational opportunity for every child, regardless of their socio-economic background.

Poor schools create unstable communities because the middle class abandons them for places where they are assured a reasonable possibility of educating their child in a public system. The out-migration of middle class families running from poor schools, crime and violence and low expectations has decimated many urban communities.

Charter schools offer some hope of being able to maintain a strong middle class population.

Education is a vital component in reducing crime and raising standards in urban communities. Charter schools are not a substitute for public schools; they are alternative forms of public schools. They provide a measure of creative tension and competitiveness for the traditional public school.

In most communities where charter schools have been established, the existing community schools have improved.

What makes charter schools a different type of public school is that the responsibility for the success of each school is in the hands of the parents, administration and teachers in each individual school. They make decisions on faculty, curriculum, governance and day to day school operations. They do not report to a central bureaucracy. The state per capita student reimbursement fee goes directly to the school, making it possible to allocate a larger portion of the dollars directly to the classroom. Thus, there is a level of accountability that is superior to the existing system.

Charter schools will have more flexibility in weeding-out bad teachers, thereby placing a higher premium on excellence. As public charter schools succeed, parents will be more demanding in the traditional public schools. This creates a win-win situation for the children, parents and every American who understands that education is the key that unlocks the door of opportunity in this great nation.

The requirement for a good education is greater than ever with the advent of the Internet. Public charter schools can help to equip our youth with the skills necessary to function in today’s marketplace.

I am a strong advocate of public schools. But, I believe that every taxpayer should receive the full benefit of their tax dollars. Since the current system has not given every citizen the equitable return of a good education, it is only fair that an alternative public delivery system is available.

The public charter school offers the greatest hope of assuring that every child in America will have access to the quality education guarantee of the 1954 Brown vs. Kansas Board of Education Supreme Court Decision. The charter school movement will help all children to appreciate the value of America’s democratic ability to deliver on the promise of that landmark decision.