The New Jersey educational system has been criticized greatly in recent years as being ineffective. Some reform proponents strongly advocate the creation of charter schools as a panacea for solving all of the perceived problems in the current school system. Some of the pros and cons are as follows:
Pros
· Choice. They introduce alternative places for parents to send their children for education. They often offer wider varieties of academic programs than do traditional schools.
· Class size. They tend to be smaller schools thus they have smaller class sizes and lower teacher- to-student ratios.
· Less regulation. Some regulations that public schools must conform to are lessened for charter schools (e.g., no salary caps for administrators, operate independent of district control, standardized testing requirements)
· Greater accountability. Charters are usually granted for 3-5 years. They must reapply to remain open and need to be successful in order to attract students.
Cons
· Fewer resources. They receive public funding but this funding does not apply to the facility or start-up costs.
· Less regulation. The lightening of rules and regulations for charters that public schools must follow could lead to the exclusion of important standards.
· Inequality. Charter schools may not meet all of the needs of students in the community or local area or may exclude disadvantaged children (e.g., special needs, transportation costs)
I have heard some teachers in my school argue that if charter schools continue to proliferate, the public school system may ultimately become a world of special education students only with all other children farmed out to various charter school environments. What do you think? Are you a proponent of charter schools? Do you think there is room for public and charter schools to co-exist?
My admittedly rather limited knowledge of charter schools leaves me a bit unsure if these institutions are really the best place to place our states’ monies and students. Researching the topic to answer this question, unfortunately, left me with even more questions and less answers on the subject. While I am all for closing achievement gaps and raising success rates, why can’t we try to reform the traditional public education system rather than create a new one that doesn’t need to conform to it (traditional rules and regulations)? Most of what I read indicated that established charter schools seem to have rather elusive accountability and results. Maybe that is the answer - and we should hold off on establishing more of these schools until we can determine their value in relation to their cost.
ReplyDeleteMy final question: How does accountability in charter schools parallel AYP measurement in public schools?
I have to agree with Lisa - I have a very limited knowledge of charter schools and how they run. I believe that before we use money and resources to create charter schools, we should look into what is plaguing our public school system. I do know that charter schools do not have to take the same tests as public schools, and this in itself makes me uncomfortable with the idea of sending children to a charter school. How do we know children at these schools are achieving? I also believe that these schools do not have to hire licensed teachers (much like catholic schools). Overall, I agree with Lisa in that we should evaluate the value of charter schools, while looking into the public school system. I believe charter schools will have their place - much like catholic schools have - along with public schools where parents and their children choose the institution that works best for them.
ReplyDeleteCharter schools are, for a lack of better terms, a public "private" schools. They are publicly funded, but like private schools, they don't have to adhere to any set of standards. This is where my doubt come in for charter schools. There can be a number of charter schools in a district, and there's nothing connecting these schools with one another. Their curriculum can be vastly different, and their requirements for graduating, or continuing to the next grade may not be lined up at all. The only thing I believe charter schools have going for them is their freedom of choice within the curriculum and courses. Charters have the chance to step outside the norm for their instruction, and this could be a huge factor for them, but it can also hinder them greatly if they are not observed closely.
ReplyDeleteSo, for right now, I think that charter schools need to lay low while states, and the country, take a look at public schools and figure out how to settle problems already at hand. Charter schools may be useful as mini "trade" schools, but for now I don't think they have much of a use in our society.
I do not support charter schools. Everything that they are doing can be done in a public school. I don't like that they can choose to exclude students based on various criteria. I also do not like that they are funded with public money and are not as regulated. The money going towards the charter school is money that could be used for the public school to educate all students in the district rather than just a select few. I don't believe there is anything special about charter schools.
ReplyDeleteThe charter school model could help public education in the way that teachers and administrators have more flexibility in how they could shape their curriculum. I think that is a definite strength. The problem I have is that often when a charter school fails and is closed down students going back to district are often years behind where they should be. In my home district a charter school opened with a parade like atmosphere, that suddenly there was choice for parents to send their children. It ultimately failed receiving its charter again and because of this students going back to district were distinctly behind. My mother was a speech therapist at the time in the district and was extremely disappointed at how little speech students received, those who especially needed it most.
ReplyDeleteI also have a friend who works in a charter school and she says one of the weaknesses is that there is not a lot of support for extracurricular activities, and that they often gave many hours for no pay to organize extracurricular activities.
Charter schools have the unique advantage of taking public money and not having to be accountable for it. Charter schools often promote themselves as getting "better results" because they have more flexiblity, more dedicated teachers or innovative ways of educating students. The truth is they are unencumbered by state requirements and tax payer demands. What also gets left out is that they can pick and choose which children they accept.
ReplyDeleteA charter high school has been attempting to open in Montclair where I live for 5 years now. The misinformation has been startling, especially since it is supposed to be from educators. Even the proposal itself, which I have read, was full of types, grammatical errors and inaccurate data. Anyone can open and run a charter school, as long as the State of New Jersey approves the proposal
I agree that there has been an extraordinary increase in charter schools. However the charter schools that have been most common near me are schools for year long learning programs for children with learning difficulties. In this scenario, with the year long set-up I think the charter school is a decent idea.
ReplyDelete