The State Of Charter Schools - 1127 Words

To understand the state of charter schools today, it is important to know how a charter school was envisioned to be. Tell explains that charter schools, by nature, should be more accurately described as â€Å"contract† schools. These schools are contractually obligated to serve the interest of the general public by providing education opportunities using the funds provided from taxes. Traditionally, charter schools are defined as â€Å"tuition-free, publicly funded, performance-based, non-sectarian, public schools of choice open to all.†[1] These schools are considered autonomous because they are exempt from most, if not all, local and state rules and regulations regarding education. The reduction of applicable laws pertaining to these schools are supposed to liberate them from the supposedly strict regulations that bog down the education system that prevent teachers from what they were actually hired to do: to teach. Although novel in concept, this idea has been diffic ult to implement in reality. To better understand the state of charter schools today, it is important to understand its history. The first charter school law of the United States began in Minnesota in 1991 and has since then spread throughout the United States to 43 states, and Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. These schools today compromise of approximately 6% of public schools, and enroll 2.5 million students annually.[2] Charter schools open annually throughout these states, but more interestingly, many close asShow MoreRelatedCharter Schools Of The United States2175 Words   |  9 Pages Charter schools in the United States were created as a response to the perceived lack of educational achievement among American students. A community of critics consisting of educators, parents, politicians and entrepreneurs came together under the unified belief that current education policy was too restrictive and prohibited educational innovation. As a result, the education reform movement wa s born. According to the National Conference of State Legislators, â€Å"Charter schools are publicly fundedRead MoreThe s Multi State Network Of Free Public Charter High Schools950 Words   |  4 PagesRAPSA, and SIATech California. SIATech, Inc. s multi-state network of free public charter high schools is the foundation of our educational ecosystem, which employs 250 staff and serves 2,500 students at 22 sites. Our schools in California, Arkansas, and Florida re-enroll students from low socio-economic backgrounds who are highly at-risk of dropping out and those who have already given up and guide them to graduation. Our innovative schools provide students a renewed opportunity to earn a diplomaRead MoreEssay on Charter Schools987 Words   |  4 Pagesdebate on school reform in the United States. The charter school model was an idea for educational reconstruction. These charter schools insured the continuing improvement of schooling (Budde, 1989). In 1991, Minnesota was the first state to pass legislation to create a charter school. In 1992, Minnesota opened the doors of the first charter school in the United States (â€Å"Resources,† 2012). Since then, Charter schools have gained wide spread acceptance across the United States. Charter schools are independentRead More A Unique Approach: Education in Public and Charter Schools Essay960 Words   |  4 PagesEducation in Public and Charter Schools School choice: two words that together spell out a multitude of educational options for students today. Among them are charter schools and public schools; public schools standing the test of time and charter schools being at the forefront of a revolution in educational change. Surprisingly, these two educational institutions have more in common than one might think, but maintain their differences. Key differences between charter and public schools include approachRead MoreImpact of Education Choice on Public Funds1294 Words   |  6 PagesTopeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. Though the U.S. Supreme Court declared school desegregation in the 1954 ruling on the famous â€Å"Brown v. Board of Education case, the state of Mississippi did not allow racially or ethnically different students to mix together in schools until 1970, sixteen years after the 1954 Supreme Court ruling, accordingRead MoreCharter Schools Essay1610 Words   |  7 PagesCharter Schools: The Future of Education? For decades the American education system provided parents with three choices: public, homeschool or private school. If they chose public then their child(ren) would be assigned to a school past on where they lived. However , â€Å"in the early 1990s a handful of states created independent public charter schools, providing opportunities for teachers and others to develop innovative schooling options â€Å" (Palmer, Louann 2007). Not only did the creation ofRead MoreWhy Charter Schools Are Important to Education Essay example1415 Words   |  6 Pages Why Charter Schools Are Important to Education Charter schools are public schools, but can be a better option than traditional public schools for some students. By definition, a charter school is a publicly funded and privately run school under the charter of an educational authority. (2-4) A charter school is held to a different set of standards than most traditional public schools. This can often work towards their advantage because it allows them to try new and unique methods of educating childrenRead More Public Education Essay1454 Words   |  6 PagesPublic education in the United States is perhaps one of the most critical issues we face as a nation. Once pronouncing the United States as a â€Å"nation at risk†, the educational institution began to implement one reform strategy after another. In efforts to improve schooling for K-12 students, education reform has fiddled with class size, revised graduation requirements, and created standardized testing just to name a few. Unfortunately, traditional public schools ar e still failing to provide studentsRead MoreCharter Schools Have Open Admission Policies920 Words   |  4 PagesCharter schools have been growing rapidly since the first school opened in Minnesota in 1992. Charter schools were first conceptualized by Ray Budde who happened to be a previous teacher and principal. That was in 1974 and by 1983 after the release of A Nation at Risk the concept caught on. Albert Shanker, then president of the American Federation of Teachers, talked of Charter schools in his speech in 1988 thus bringing it to a larger audience. By 1991 the concept caught fire bringing through theRead MoreTechnical Efficiency Of Charter School1734 Words   |  7 Pageswhen output is maximized given fixed levels of input. For a school to achieve technical efficiency, the school would have to provide students the best education possible given the fixed levels of labor and capital. A start-up charter school, with no permanent facility, would have to maximize the test score s of their students with the space being used. Also, a charter school must increaseased. If a charter e output when input is incr school moves to a larger facility or hires more teachers, the level