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I am proud to say that my intern friends—Adiya Taylor, Mandy Leiter, Matt Beienburg, Tigran Avakyan—and I hosted a very successful event: “CER Interns Present: The Next Generation in Education Reform.” I would like to extend a thank-you to the Thomas B. Fordham Institute for letting us use their space as well as to the staff at CER for their encouragement and support throughout this entire process—which, I’m sad to say, is now over.

Our speakers were also instrumental in transforming our event from a small idea that started in a conference room to a reality that ended up in about 40 attendees, eagerly asking questions and inclined to network.

Kara Kerwin, Daniel Lautzenheiser, Jack McCarthy, Michael Musante, and Amber Northern are experts in their fields regarding education policy and certainly had a lot to bring to the table. Our moderator, Tigran Avakyan, engaged them in discussions regarding teacher tenure, technology use in the classroom, and the return on investment. Charter schools were also a prominent topic that came up.

I’ve been thinking a lot about charter schools, actually. I first heard the term “charter school” in a class at college, and I never thought about it later after that semester. I am close to completing my first internship here at CER and only now can I truly tell you what it means. Charter schools are innovative, public schools that are free from regulations set forth by the government. They serve some of the most disadvantaged students and are kept accountable for their results. New charter schools are always opening up as well. For instance, 11 charter schools are expected to open up in the DC area alone this coming fall. Many charter schools—new or having already existed for a while—may also face closure in the future due to a lack of resources. This is quite unfortunate considering the fact that charter schools are beginning to serve an increasing number of students.

I do not think that I will ever forget McCarthy’s anecdote about the Josiah Quincy school in Boston. A while back, McCarthy worked for a real investment firm in Boston. His friend, who wanted to start a charter school, believed that McCarthy would be able to provide him with a building. As the process went on in starting up the charter, McCarthy mentioned that 1,600 people had applied for 600 available seats. There was a “mass of humanity in the gymnasium.” Many people were dissatisfied with the school choice options in the Boston area and made a conscious choice to put their faith into a new school. Names were being pulled out of a hat—as if it were a lottery. The 1,000 people whose names did not get called simply cried, and McCarthy mentioned that he did as well. It was a “moving experience.”

Though 1,000 people were unable to secure a place in the Josiah Quincy school, those 1,000 people were still greeted by choice in the form of a charter. McCarthy ended his anecdote by stating that charter schools do not cream people—it’s “baloney.” I completely agree with him. I still wonder about those 1,000 people, though. Did the charter not get enough funding to enroll more than 600 students? Did those parents ever get a “choice” option later? I hope so.

I learned many things from our event, especially how to work well with a team, but more importantly, I learned of my passion for charter schools. All our speakers—from such diverse backgrounds and organizations—were able to agree that charter schools are a positive school-choice option. I join in with the panelists in saying that I do, too.

Once more, I thank them all for their contributions. I am excited to see how things will turn out when CER hosts their next event!

Navraj Narula, CER Intern