DEAR EDITOR: In honor of the recent National Charter Schools Week, May 12th to the 18th, I feel the need to set the record straight. There are many misconceptions about what a charter school is and is not. Here are some key facts which should dispel some of the more pervasive misconceptions out there.
Charter schools are in fact public schools!
Charter schools are distinct pubic schools that have the autonomy to be more innovative, yet they are still held accountable for improving student achievement. Charter schools were developed more than twenty years ago as a solution to improve the public education system in the United States and to help narrow an ever-widening achievement gap between white students and students of color.
Charter schools are free and open to all students!
There is no tuition to attend and all students are eligible to attend charter schools. Even though charter schools are run independently from traditional public schools, they are still public schools. Charter schools exist to educate the students who live within public school district boundaries.
They are funded by local, state, and federal sources just like your local traditional public schools. Charter schools are not religious and cannot discriminate against students for any reason. Often there are more students interested in attending than there are spaces, thus many schools offer placement through a lottery system.
Innovation and flexibility are big ideas that permeate the philosophy of the charter school movement.
Integral to the charter school movement’s philosophy are innovation and flexibility. Teachers are encouraged and permitted the freedom to innovate in their curriculum and activities. Strong partnerships are forged between parents, teachers, students, and community to create an environment in which parents feel welcomed and more involved in the school. These strong partnerships are vital toward actualizing the ultimate goal: improving student achievement.
Educators are constantly assessing, monitoring, and adjusting their programs based on current data. The data informs educators of the needs of their students. Charter schools are able to make necessary changes more quickly than traditional public schools because there is often less bureaucratic red tape and fewer cumbersome rules which may not address the needs of their smaller population compared to the population of a larger school district.
This affords charter school educators the freedom to innovate and be more responsive in real time to facilitate learning and provide an environment that is tailored to the needs of their students. Charter schools are still held accountable for student learning and achievement.
By allowing charter schools to use innovative practices, many students who were not achieving in traditional public schools are now achieving in charter schools.
These innovative practices may include direct community and parent involvement, innovation in teaching and instructional approaches, or implementing procedural innovations related to administrative and organizational structure. However, one key focus for charter schools in how innovation occurs is always tied directly to what’s best for students and what will work best for improving student achievement.
Recently, U.S. News & World Report cited 63 percent of charter schools in 16 states performed as well as or better than public schools in math. Many successful charter schools are sharing their successful strategies with other public schools. This collaboration is definitely a win-win, as more students will benefit from educational practices that are working.
— Bridget Allison, via letters@SentinelColorado.com