On Feb. 22, Jonathan Potter argued (perhaps ironically) that Maine needs “good business sense to run a state” and apparently alleged that charter schools are the answer to Maine’s educational problems.

Since he provided no data to support that position, I researched it myself. In 2009, Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes analyzed 70 percent of students attending charter schools and compared their academic progress with demographically matched students in nearby public schools.

The important point here is that the comparison was made between similar populations and did not include those students who attend public schools but are unacceptable to charter schools.

This equalization allows us to draw rational conclusions. The report found that 17 percent of charter schools reported academic gains that were significantly better than traditional public schools; 46 percent showed no difference, and 37 percent were significantly worse than their traditional public school counterparts.

Furthermore, Vanderbilt University reported that charter school teachers are 132 percent more likely to leave teaching than public school teachers. One reason for this is that many charter school teachers have no prior classroom experience and quickly learn that subject-matter expertise is only one skill needed to manage a classroom.

Certification ensures that teachers not only have subject matter expertise, but also understand classroom management. All in all, I don’t believe that simply pronouncing that charter schools are the panacea for our education ills is supported by the facts.

All children are guaranteed an education in our present system. I don’t believe charter schools are equipped to deal with the different student populations that exist in our public schools, and there is no proof that they do a better job with the common populations.