...............

[C.Ann]

 

[FINFAN]

Just bumping for you,C.Ann....as I am very interested also.We don't have any in my area...only the city. and what little I do know sure makes me wish I lived near one. You could try a search under charter schools and see what you come up with, matbe you will find a lead to a chat board. Good luck and please post anything you may find. I know there are quite a few in Florida!

 

[rbuzzotta]

My oldest DD went to a charter school for 4th grade. I pulled her from public school because her teacher insisted she had ADD/ADHD and I felt my DD was now "labelled" even though medical professionals "ruled out" ADD/ADHD.

Anyways, I really liked it. The method of teaching was Direct Instruction and it worked well for my DD. She really learned alot and her confidence was boosted. I did however, send her back to publice school for 5th grade (a new school, Middle School). The days at the Charter school was 8-3:30. We had to leave our home at 7:30 and would not get back until 4 or so. It was a long day. It was also a long school year. 200 days opposed to 180 in the public school system. This particular school had issues though. The teachers are generally paid less and their was a high teacher turn over!! She went through 2 math teachers, 3 homeroom teachers and 2 spanish teachers in that one year!!

I believe those that start a charter school from kindergarten are better off. DD had trouble getting used to wearing a uniform, longer days and being away from her local town friends. Had she started from kindergarten I beleive it would have been easier.

I opted not to place DD#2 andDD#3 in the charter school because of the distance, longer days (I don't think #2 could handle it!, #3 could though) and lack of friends from our town attending the charter school. We have since moved and are in another elementary school district with much better teachers and community involvement.

If I were still in the other elementary school district, I think I would have opted for the charter school.

Any more questions, I would be happy to answer based on my experience with DD #1 attending the charter school.

Hope this helped somewhat.

 

[Mskanga]

C.Ann
I'm not really familiar with Charter schools but I can tell you what happened in our town just last September.
We had a new charter school open ( the first one ever in this area ) and many parents pulled their kids out of public school with the thought that was a better school for their children. They started the year in the charter school and two months into the school year , 75% of the children were pulled out of charter and back into public schools. Why?? they said it's the school does not offer as many programs as the public school does and academically is a bit more behind. It was tempting for me to sing up my DD in charter school because she would have gone to kindergarten all day as opposed to half day in the public school but I decided that I knew public school is good in our area and I wasn't to take a chance with a school I had no references about just for DD to go into full day kindergarten. I am glad I didn't do it because I know two little kids in my street who go to charter school and academically they are nowhere near where the public school is but the parents still keep them there so they can go full day.
To be honest with you I don't even know why they opened this school, the school itself is located in a building right next to a rite aid store , their playground is maybe 50 x 50' and for their lunch they go to a pizza place or chinese restaurant within that shopping mall, not something I would want for my kids.
I heard their curriculum is supposed to be the same as the public school but for what I have heard from this school , this is not the case here.
I would probably call the state and inquire about the specific school, they could give you a better idea.

 

[ead79]

I think charter schools must serve different purposes in different areas of the country. I went to a public high school that became a charter school my junior year. Basically it meant that my school got to make its own rules and select its own curriculum (within the guidelines of the state of course) and schedule. It worked out wonderfully for my school and improved the quality of the education even more (my high school was the number one public high school in the state and one of the top ten in the country).

 

[betz]

I think people confuse charter schools with magnet schools.
My daughter attends a magnet school and it has it's pluses and minuses.
Pluses, wonderful instructors, that are well paid. The class size is small. The population is structured and very well behaved, basically a 3 times you are out theory with behavior. You had to apply and be accepted according to your mastery scores, your grades, an application with an essay and past behavior. This does make it somewhat exclusive, which it can be, being a magnet school. The level of instruction is high. What is expected, is a lot.
My daughter has 2-3 hours of homework a night, 6th grade, and grades are dropped if they are late, no excuses. The school is brand new, going on it's 3rd year, thus no asbestos or other enviro concerns. It has an indoor pool, a great gym, Music center and state of the art technology, among other things. There is a Montesori Elementary, the Magnet Middle and the Academies of Art/Music and Science/Math for High School. It works with a local college, thus my daughter attends an excellent College for a few hours a few days a week.
Big minus for her Long Day and She Misses Her Local Friends.