Do They Work?

1. Do They Work? Charter Schools

2. Charter schools are alternative schools that follow some, but not all, of the regulations that typical public schools must adhere to. In turn, they must produce certain academic results, according to each individual school’s charter.

3. Who Can Start a Charter School? • The easy answer is: Almost anyone! • -Individual, business, or organization: if you follow the rules and regulations, a charter can be yours. • Reformers- those people who think the current system does not offer enough options, who may view traditional public schools as being too narrow or not specialized enough. Most of the charter schools are probably started by these sorts of people • Zealots- more conservative-minded folk, who may view traditional public schools as too lenient and unstructured. • Entrepreneurs- people who seek to create profit from their school in some way.

4. What is the rationale for them? • Alternative school • Provides a choice • Different teaching methods • To serve a certain concentration

5. Funding • The funding for charter schools is handled on a state-by-state basis. • Charter schools do receive funding from the state, a certain amount is allotted to them per child. Often this amount is less than is allocated to a child in the public school district, but…. • Charter schools also receive funding from private donors and foundations. As a result, they usually end up with a lot more money available to them regardless of the discrepancies in state funding. • Problems include start-up funds, which are not readily available, lack of adequate donorship, and little help with things like transportation or special education.

6. Are they being held accountable? • Charter schools have to obey the charter that was placed in front of them when the school started. If they do not keep the school’s charter up to par, the school can be reformed, or shut down entirely. A charter can last up to 10 years, with a review half of the way through the charter. If the school passes the test, it can be granted another charter. • Measuring achievements made by charter schools can be difficult, though, because some of the best qualities about charter schools can not be measured by a standardized test.

7. 2007 Scores on 2 different Charter schools

8. Impact on Public Education? • As people become increasingly dissatisfied with public school, options such as charter schools become more popular. • Some say that C.S. are laboratories for innovation, provide low income families with more choices, and do not take away from public education. • On the other hand, some say that C.S. take resources from other schools, require more from faculty, and pull the best students and their active parents away from the public school system. • The truth is? We don’t really know.

9. Bibliography • Hicks, R. Ohle, A. (2008, March) A Tale Of Two Charter Schools. Kennedy School Review. 8, 10-13. Retrieved Sept. 23rd, 2008; Academic Search Premiere. • Eckes, S. (2006, June) Charter School Accountability: Legal Considerations. Brigham Young University: Education and Law Journal. Retrieved Sept. 20th, 2008; Academic Search Premiere. • Zimmer, R. (2007, April) Getting Inside the Black Box. Peabody Journal of Education. 82, 231-273. Retrieved Sept. 20th, 2008; Academic Search Premiere.