Charter Schools

Charter Schools

          What is a Charter School? How is a Charter School different from traditional schools? How can traditional schools be improved to compete with the performance of Charter Schools? The answer to these questions and more may be what is needed to improve the public school system across the Nation.

          A Charter School is an independently run public school, both elementary and secondary, that has been freed from the rules and regulations in regards to curriculum guidelines that all public schools are required to follow (NEA). Because they are not required to follow the same guidelines as traditional schools, charter schools are held to a higher level of accountability (CA Charters). Charter schools are required to establish their mission, goals, methods of assessment and the ways in which they will measure success in a contract with the District (CA Charters). Charter schools are federally funded, just as traditional schools are, but most seek grants, donations and do fundraising to pay for their programs (CA Charters).

While charter schools are federally funded, they receive less per student than traditional schools. Also, they are privately organized, meaning that a group and/or organization are the main sponsors of the school. These sponsors are the creative minds behind the schools standards and decide which set of courses that will be used for instruction. Because Charter schools are not required to follow the same curriculum as traditional schools, they customarily take on a more rigorous program using different learning systems (CA Charter). This freedom from regulation allows charter schools to develop new and innovative teaching techniques (NEA). In addition to the difference in teaching and curriculum, charter schools develop a strong affiliation between parents, teachers and students (Public Charter). While many public schools also have this same relationship through PTA’s and PTSA’s, this membership and parental involvement with the public school system tends to dwindle as students progress from elementary to secondary schools.

There is a charter school in Arizona, BASIS, which has been ranked as the sixth best high school in the United States by Newsweek magazine (Kronholz). Their rugged academics are attracting students who admit they became bored with traditional schools. Students declare that there is an incredible amount of homework that they are required to do, but they push each other to succeed and acknowledge that it is “cool to be smart” (Kronholz). There is no tenure for the teachers at BASIS, but they do receive annual bonuses for student performance.

The heart of the charter school is that public schools should be held responsible for student education (Public Charters). They are closing the achievement gap and raising the bar of what is possible and what should be expected in the public school system (Public Charters). Businesses hold themselves to international standards, why not the public school system (Kronholz)? “The need for knowledge is in everybody. You just need to wake it up.” (Kronholz)

While many believe the charter schools are the best public schools available for students, there are others who would disagree. There is documentation that shows that only one in five charter schools can get remarkable results and the data that was presented in the movie “Waiting for Superman” was glorified and not completely accurate (Ravitch). While there are outstanding charter schools, there are also superb public schools. Privatizing the public school system is not the solution to improving poor performing schools.

 

Works Cited

California Charter Schools Association.

http://www.calcharters.org/understanding/what-are-charter-schools.html. Web 21 Apr. 2014.

Kronholz, June. “Hi scores at basis charter schools.” Education Next 14.1 (2014): 30+. 

Academic OneFile. Web 21 Apr. 2014.

National Education Association. http://www.nea/org/charter. Web 21 Apr. 2014

Ravitch, Diane. “The Myth of Charter Schools.” 13 Jan. 2011. Web 21 Apr. 2014.

What Are Public Charter Schools?

http://www.publiccharters.org/get-the-facts/public-charter-schools/ Web. 21 Apr. 2014.