"What's the choice? You have no choice" : Charter Schools Marketing Better Education by Selling Discipline and Choice and Its Effects on Public Education

Abstract

Charter schools have been a booming industry in recent years, especially in the city of Chicago, where there are advertisements marketed all around the city from the public trains and buses to billboards on the highway. Charter schools have also been a part of bigger conversations that deal with education reform and the debate if public· schools are good for children or are public schools harming them. These conversations have become very prevalent in the media so much so that the ABC sitcom, Abbott Elementary, tackled the charter school conversation by showing an exaggerated scene of charter schools publicly shaming public schools in their advertisements. Although charter schools seem to be harmless, there are issues that charter schools hide behind the discipline, as they use discipline as a way to "straighten children up" in order for them to be prepared for college and society. Discipline becomes an issue when there is a constant backlash on the harsh punishment given to students over small issues, like tardiness. Charter schools also are key when looking into the privatization of education. Who deserves a good education and why are public schools not worthy of the title of "good" education? Charter schools using their tools to market brings in more enrollment, leading to less enrollment and negative light shined on public schools. It leads to many children who depend on their neighborhood public schools not receiving i the education they deserve because of the lack of funding, or the closing of their schools.