The Miami Herald | 05/29/2002 | Public schools' FCAT results in Dade even with charters'

Test scores for charter school students in South Florida were pretty similar to those for public school students. They weren't -- as the headline says -- identical. The charter school students did do better, but (according to the study) only about as much as you'd expect given differing economic status -- the charter school students came from (on average) wealthier homes.

I'm all for experimenting with education, and the public schools in this country are badly in need of repair. But people seem to think that the way to go is to abandon the public school system, and I don't see how that will solve anything. Either some people won't get an education at all or the privately-run schools will wind up just like the public ones of today. That's just my opinion, of course.