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Annotated Bibliography

Are Charter Schools Better Than Public Schools?

Molly Hartness
Professor Malcolm Campbell
UWRT 1103
October 17th, 2016

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Annotated Bibliography
Canada, Geoffrey. Our Failing Schools. Enough Is Enough! TedTalks. TedTalk. 07 May
2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
In this academic TED Talk, Geoffrey Canada prompts the audience to wonder
why everything but education has evolved in the past 50 years. He asserts that
educators are clasping onto the business plan for schools that has been in place
for decades, but has lost its success. Canada mentions a study from Harvard
University that has been repeatedly performed for several years. The results
clearly claim that lower socioeconomic status children fall behind academically
during the summer months when they are not in school. Geoffrey Canada uses
this study to ask why everyone has heard about this, but no one has done anything
about it. He then goes on to say how there are many issues in education such as
this, but no one seems to want to be radical enough to try anything new. Canada
also brings up an unusual yet valid idea about standardized testing. He proclaims
that when test results finally arrive, the year is over, summer passes by, and
teachers prepare for their new set of children. The test results are never analyzed
or utilized, and precious funds are wasted. Canadas main point is that education
needs more innovation. He claims that people are automatically against new
ideas, such as charter schools, and nothing is ever accomplished as a result of
narrow-minded thinking. This TED Talk is a good source because the TED Talks
Education conference in May 2013 included many influential people, such as Ken
Robinson, Rita Pierson, and Bill Gates. These figures are all powerful in the

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education field, and they were speaking to motivate and converse with fellow
educators. Geoffrey Canada is the head of the Harlem Childrens Zone, a huge
school and resource center for a span of impoverished neighborhoods in New
York. Canada is a well-known figure in the world of education. I will certainly
use points from this TED Talk in my EIP. Although I may not agree with
everything Canada mentioned, he made me ponder ideas about innovation in
education in a new way, which is beneficial for my inquiry. Some of my other
sources advocate for reforming the traditional public school system, but Geoffrey
Canada speaks on trying completely new ideas. His viewpoint will be a good
topic to cover in my project.
Cremata, Edward, et al. "National Charter School Study 2013." (2013)
credo.stanford.edu. Center for Research on Education Outcomes. Web. 17 Oct.
2016.
This lengthy peer-reviewed journal report is an excellent source for my EIP. Its
goal is to compile data to analyze the effectiveness of charter schools in the US.
One valuable lesson I learned from this report is that not all states have charter
schools. In fact, there are 8 states in the US without charter schools. It was also
interesting to see that in US public schools, 48% of students live in poverty, and
in US charter schools, 53% of students live in poverty. This is surprising to me
because it seems as if public schools would have significantly more students in
poverty than charter schools. This data revealed that of all charter schools, 39%
are elementary schools, 17% are middle schools, 14% are high schools, and 30%
are multi-level schools. Also, 56% of charter schools are located in an urban area.

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The report indicated that charter schools are serving more disadvantaged students
today than they were in 2009. In short, this document serves as an unbiased and
neutral source of data and statistics. It simply gives the outcome of several tests;
the authors do not interject their opinions on the results. This report is written by
several education professionals who are professors and researchers in the field of
education. It is from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford
University, so it is an academic and credible source. The audience of this report
could be politicians, educators, or researchers. Overall, this online document
reveals tons of valuable information. Compared to my other sources, this report is
not arguing a strong pointrather, it is just giving information. There are many
graphs in which I can make meaningful conclusions. Statistics are certainly one
way to measure whether charter schools are superior to traditional public schools,
and this report is a great supply of information.
Save Our Schools March. Save Our Schools, Inc., 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.
This website is a community-based movement to save US public schools. It
informs people about government spending on education, regulation of
curriculum, teacher salaries, and standardized testing. Each July, Save our
Schools hosts a march in Washington DC in which thousands of people assembled
to express their frustrations with the current education system and their ideas for
reform. The citizens in support of this website believe that public education for
every students should be the main focus in our country. The page holds a large
amount of books, videos, podcasts, articles, and more that support and argue for
public education. The creators say, This movement is the natural result of

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increasing dissatisfaction with failed and failing policies like No Child Left
Behind and Race to the Top. The website includes a grassroots project called
The Campaign for Artful Resistance in which people can submit art in the form
of paintings, videos, and writing in an effort to take a stand against the negative
effects of forced policies in education. The website was created by a diverse
group of people who seek to better public education in America. They claim that
those who know the most about education should be making decisions about
policies. The audience of this website is mostly ordinary citizens who are
interested in making a difference in education policies. Some endorsers of the
Save Our Schools March include The Participatory Action Research Center for
Education Organizing (PARCEO), The Latino Institute, Inc., Paterson Education
Fund, and the NJ Working Families Alliance. The website and movement is also
endorsed by Dr. David Berliner, professor at Arizona State University, Dr. Nancy
Carlsson-Paige, author, speaker, and professor at Lesley University, and Dr. Diane
Ravitch, a well-known historian and professor. These individuals and
organizations make this website credible. Unlike some of my other sources, this
website is extremely biased. Although this resource is valuable, I am not sure I
will use it in my EIP. It is a beneficial call-to-action, but it does not have a large
amount of researched-based information.
Wendler, Emily. "Looking For Change, Teachers Hit The Campaign Trail." All Things
Considered. National Public Radio. Oklahoma City, OK, 28 June 2016. NprEd.
Web. 15 Oct. 2016.

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This informative NPR podcast explains how many educators in Oklahoma City
are running for state office in an effort to reform schools in their state. Reporter
Emily Wendler follows the story of Shawn Sheehan, a math and special education
teacher in Norman, Oklahoma. He would love to stay in the classroom, but he is
currently focusing on being elected for a seat in the Senate. Sheehan claims that
Senate members do not understand education and are making harmful decisions
for schools, students, and teachers. Sheehan largely blames Republicans, the
dominating party in Oklahoma, for these destructive education policies. Jake
Parsons, Director of Operations for the Oklahoma Republican party, doesnt agree
with him on the latter statement, but he does support educators becoming
involved in politics. A House of Representatives member, Earl Sears, also gives
his input on the issue. He understands the struggles of public educators, as he was
a teacher and principal for over 30 years. However, he explains how the budgeting
is more complex than it seemspublic education does need more money, but
there is hardly any money to give them, according to Sears. This podcast is
reliable because of the notable people involved. They are professionals in their
areas, whether it is politics or education. Shawn Sheehan, Jake Parsons, and Earl
Sears have differing opinions on the subject, so listeners can witness a
comprehensive argument. The reporter, Emily Wendler, remains neutral
throughout the podcast. The recording differs from my other sources because it
involves a real-life scenario, and it is a different medium of news. This NPR
podcast was helpful and clear. Although it does not directly relate to the question
of whether charter schools are better than public schools, it improves my

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understanding of how the system works and how politics are involved. Therefore,
it is related to my inquiry question because everything is connected. I will
consider this podcast and use it in my EIP.