0.3 Allen, a., & Gawlik, m. (july 2009). preparing district and  (Page 8/10)

This perspective also lends itself to a new approach for charter school research. Instead of focusing on charter schools and district schools as separate entities, we might look for the ways in which charter schools and district schools can work together to build a system of public school delivery that is cohesive, connected, and offers options to parents and students. Possible research questions include:

• How might charter and district schools work together for the benefit of students in the community? What are the opportunities for shared services? What are the opportunities for specialized services? On a deeper level, what is it about these schools that might bring them together around meeting the needs of the local community?
• What avenues of communication exist for charter and district schools to better serve students and parents? How can a system of communication for public education in a given community share information about all schools so that true choices can be made?
• How much information does the community have about public school options, including district and charter schools? How can information be disseminated to all stakeholders so that stakeholders can make informed judgments about their public schools and the policies and people that govern them?
• What professional development opportunities might exist that can benefit both charter and district school leaders in a given community? How might professional development be delivered in system of public school that includes public schools of choice?
• What are the shared goals of public education between charter and district school leaders? What are the differences? How do these similarities and differences fit within a broader vision for public education?
• What would a systems approach to choice look like for public education? How would it different from the market approach? Who would it serve?

Current policy importance

The question we have raised in this paper is if we are preparing educational leaders for public education leadership in separate programs for district and charter schools, are we serving specific needs of these populations as new providers in a system of public education, or are we exacerbating a division in public education and contributing to mixed ideologies, purposes, and goals for public schooling as a common good (Abernathy, 2005; Lubienski, 2001, 2003; Labaree, 1997; Gutmann, 1987). As we move forward with both the study and practice of charter schooling, we see the potential of a synergetic relationship between charter and district schools. Given the interest in educational choice, charter schools offer an opportunity for students and parents for that choice, but in order to preserve the core mission of public education, we need to make sure that choice is part of an overall system of public school delivery that strengthens our efforts toward providing democratic education for all students. Charter school leaders face unique and difficult challenges that must be tended to in our school leadership programs. Given the ongoing growth of the charter school movement, ignoring these needs is not an option. While we believe it is necessary to broaden our leadership programs to include the special needs of charter school leaders, we must do so from a systems perspective, maintaining a focus on providing all students with free education that unites rather than divides.