School Lotteries in Film and in Real Life

Charter school lotteries are appearing in more movies lately. The scenes are  made for the medium, parents hoping that blind luck will give them a chance at a better school. Movies such as The Lottery, Waiting for Superman, and The Cartel will be spreading to screens across Illinois.  So, coincidentally, are charter school lotteries themselves....

Charter school lotteries are appearing in more movies lately. The scenes are  made for the medium, parents hoping that blind luck will give them a chance at a better school. Movies such as The Lottery, Waiting for Superman, and The Cartel will be spreading to screens across Illinois.  So, coincidentally, are charter school lotteries themselves.

Last month, nearly 700 Peoria students were signed up by their parents for the admissions lottery for the new Quest Charter Academy. With 225 slots avaiable, hundreds of parents went home disappointed.

The Southtown Star reports that another new charter school – the Southland College Prep Charter School – has more applicants than seats avaiable.  So the school’s administrators will hold an admissions lottery tonight for 125 seats.

For years, the rest of the state has looked on as Chicago has steadily grown the number of its charter schools.  The typical education interest groups have fought to contain the movement to Chicago, with good success.  But in Peoria and the Southland, two charter middle/high schools have managed to earn approval in high need areas and parents are lining their children up in greater numbers than the schools can accommodate.  This tells us two things: communities across Illinois need more choices than just these schools, and we should have created new choices for these desperate families years ago.