Charter group wants to open 8 schools in Washington, D.C.

Rocketship Education, a California nonprofit group, has proposed opening eight charter schools in Washington, D.C., that would enroll more than 5,000 students by 2019. The Washington Post reports that the proposal has stirred excitement among those who believe that the new charters can raise student achievement in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. The charter application has raised concerns that the traditional school system, facing greater competition from charters, is in danger of being relegated to a permanently shrunken role.