Charter schools survive by choice

Parents who seek out a charter school for their children make a conscious decision to do so; they generally know what they’re getting into.

That element of choice — students can withdraw from a charter school their parents don’t think is up to snuff and enroll in their regular, neighborhood public school or pay to go to private school — is a powerful motivator for charter schools to meet their students’ needs, or risk losing enrollment.

Parental choice, more than Department of Education rankings or test-score comparisons, determine the fate of individual charter schools, and that’s how it should be.

Rail columns have an artistic side

Mostly the emerging Honolulu rail project is something to view from afar, the columns marching across the landscape as you’re driving by in Ewa.

But get up close and personal with the structure and there’s something interesting to study: the artwork embossed on the columns. Created by molds and layered over the columns, the embossments with Hawaiian themes will be different at each of 21 stations.

Is it even necessary to ask, even beg, taggers to leave these things alone?