What exactly is a "Charter School"

[DisTeach1]

I'm a teacher-I should know this. I know we have one, but I'm not entirely sure why a parent would choose this for their child. What makes a school a Charter school?

 

[komondorok]

Charter schools are very, very popular in our district. Many new ones are proposed each years. For us, the schools are still public school receiving public funding, but don't have to follow the district rules. They set their own charter, hence Charter Schools. But they do have to provide their own building, and all the other stuff that goes into school. Teachers have to be approved by the school board. However, district rules do not always apply to charter schools when it comes to teacher hiring. For instance, some of the schools here use computer professionals from the community to teach computer science classes even though they don't have their official teaching credentials. Teachers in the district schools have to follow state mandates for certification.

Many schools are set up with a specific curriculum/focus that some teachers and parents prefer to the district curriculum.

We have few Core Knowledge schools, a music and arts school, a couple of dual immersion (spanish/english) schools, a montessori etc.

Parents choose these schools because they offer a different curriculum that may fit their child better than the standard district curriculum. I chose a core knowledge curriculum for two of my three children because it suited their learning styles better. The third child did the district curriculum because it suited her style better.

Districts tend to not like them, since they draw children out of the schools, taking their funding with them. Our school board argues that it dilutes the funding too much. Our district tried to put a cap on charter schools, but lost a state lawsuit.

Hope this helps!

 

[Steffi]

Here's what my county's school website says about charter schools:

"Charter schools are independent public schools operated by a non-profit organization. They hire their own teachers, design their own academic program, and control their own finances. They have their own board of directors that make decisions for the school."

There are some pretty interesting charter schools in my county!

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Charter schools are also often centered around an interest or specific Teaching philosophy. For instance, you will see many Charter Schools at the elementary level which call themselves " ________ Montessori Charter School." Our newest Charter School in our District is Language Centered. They also wear uniforms which no other Public school in our District requires. The kids are schooled from Kindergarten age in English, Spanish, and French. The parents have to sign an agreement to meet certain requirements, or they can be unenrolled from the Charter School and sent back to their Home District School.

Generally parents "apply" for the Charter school. There are some guidelines on who is accepted. Usually a certain % has to come from children who live in the neighborhood. I have heard of Charter schools that have admission tests, but the one here is purely by lottery.