Fix charter school lotteries to give every student a chance

Charter school lotteries are fixed. I am not suggesting operators have systematic ways to populate schools with high-achieving students. For the most part, this is a misconception propagated by charter school detractors. However, even when operators entice lottery participation, voluntary entry skews the composition of charter populations. To truly fix charter lotteries, give every student a chance. The issue is particularly relevant in NYC, which has 197 charter schools educating 83,200 students, according to the NYC Charter School Center, a support organization. The center says interest is so high that all but a handful have to choose students by lottery.