The Current's Dec. 10 article “Board of Education tackles District truancy problems” rightly drew attention to truancy issues in District public schools. But it is not correct that the Office of the State Superintendent of Education has the power to impose truancy regulations on D.C.'s public charter schools.
Truancy is much less of a problem in D.C.'s public charter schools, and imposing a one-size-fits-all regulation on these independent public schools would undermine the success they have already achieved. The rate of absenteeism at D.C.'s public charter secondary schools is almost half that of District traditional public schools. Perhaps not coincidentally, District students in public charter secondary schools with a majority of economically disadvantaged students are twice as likely to score advanced or proficient on math and reading tests as their counterparts in equivalent traditional public secondary schools.
Nonselective, publicly funded and independently run, these autonomous public schools are curbing student absenteeism by building stronger bonds among students, parents and teachers. This important success is especially impressive because D.C.'s public charter schools have pioneered longer school days, weeks and years. Their achievement should be shared among all District public schools so every D.C. child can benefit.
Robert Cane
Executive director, FOCUS
Friends of Choice in Urban Schools