The ABC's of Charter Schools
Frequently asked questions about tuition-free public schools.
Oct. 7, 2007— -- Charter schools have been a centerpiece of the modern school reform movement. Many school reformers who focus on disadvantaged inner city students say they are uniquely qualified to help close the stubborn achievement gap between minority and white students.
What is it about charter schools that offers such promise? We look at that question and others, and offer some helpful answers.
What are charter schools?
Minnesota opened the first charter school in 1992. Today, 40 states and the District of Columbia have approved them.
More than 4,100 charter schools serve over 1.2 million students today (about 2.4 percent of all students), according to the Center for Education Reform. In the last school year, 347 new charter schools opened, but, since 1992, 560 charter schools have been closed.
After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans turned more than half of its schools into charter schools.
Who issues school charters?
A school's "charter" is a contract that describes its mission, operating policies and methods of accountability. A charter is usually issued for three to five years.
Why are charter schools created?
How do charter schools differ from magnet schools?
Who pays for charter schools?
Charter schools rarely get public startup or facilities money, and so, must raise money to get off the ground. They often depend on private donors or foundations to survive.
How do students get a spot in a charter school?
How do charter school teachers compare to traditional public school teachers?
Charter schools, because of their innovation and sense of mission, often attract young and enthusiastic teachers.
How do charter schools perform compared to mainstream public schools?
In 2006, the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools reviewed 58 studies that compared charter schools with traditional public schools.
Of those that looked at student performance at a single moment in time, 40 percent showed charter schools performing worse than public schools; 60 percent showed comparable, mixed, or generally positive results for charter school students.
Of those studies that followed students over time, 70 percent reported that charter school students showed gains over public schools students, 18 percent found they performed the same, and only 12 percent showed charter school students lagging behind.
Are charter schools addressing the "achievement gap"?
Charter schools serving elementary students are generally viewed as having more impact on student performance. But some high schools have achieved extraordinary results.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Education profiled eight superb charter high schools, including MATCH, the subject of our "World News Sunday" Spotlight profile. (Read that report HERE)
Why do some criticize charter schools?
Critics say charter schools are able to select difficult children out of their populations, particularly students with special needs or behavioral problems.
Charter schools may find it easier to expel difficult students to the general population. Some charter school admissions systems are criticized for not being as open as they might be, and charter school teachers may find it hard to sustain the extraordinary commitment these schools require over time, leading to higher turnover.
Finally, oversight can be weak, and fiscal monitoring so loose that questions remain about how taxpayers' money is being spent.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Charter Schools in Your State:http://www.uscharterschools.org/pub/uscs_docs/sp/index.htm
National Directory of Charter Schools:http://www.edreform.com/charter_directory/
More Charter School FAQ's:http://www.uscharterschools.org/pub/uscs_docs/o/faq.html