Is New Jersey's Charter School Movement Faltering?

In 2013, the New Jersey Department of Education approved the opening of just three new charter schools statewide out of an applicant pool of 38. Have New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) and Education Commissioner Chris Cerf, who in the past have been outspoken supporters of school choice, lost interest? Currently, New Jersey has just 87 charter schools out of 2,492 public schools altogether.

"I'm concerned that a state as populous as New Jersey has so few charter schools compared to other areas of the country," says Larry Patton, who's the head of school at the Princeton Charter School. "There's a resistance to their growth that's pretty firm in New Jersey."

Reason TV spoke to some of the leading advocates for school choice in the Garden State at an event in Newark on January 22, 2014, marking the kick off of National School Choice Week and its Whistle Stop Tour, which is comprised of a series of events across the country to promote educational freedom. The event was immediately followed by the Second Annual New Jersey School Choice Summit, which was hosted by Choice Media.

Produced by Jim Epstein and hosted by Naomi Brockwell.

About 4.30

Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube Channel to receive automatic updates when new stories go live.