Charter Schools vs. Public Schools
Are charter schools the right choice to the educational needs of our children? Charter schools are tuition free public schools created and operated by parents, organizations, and community groups to fill student’s educational needs. Charter schools consider educating their students as the priority, and identify how children’s learning needs are different from each other, so they came up with different ways on educating their students such as learning in small groups, or by participating in hands on learning. Along with their unique programs such as art, math, and science, charter schools are also the stronger academic choice for students. Parents should consider charter schools for their children’s education. “Charter schools are independent public schools allowed to innovate while being held accountable for improving student achievements” (Edie, 2012, p.1). Charter schools are the best choice for a child’s education.
According to Edie (2012), “Charter schools are public schools because they operate independently of the school district” (Edie , 2012, p.1). Charter schools were developed because of the struggle of educational needs of public schools in educating students. They Charter schools are designed to be free to set their own operating hours and curriculum. They also strive to boost student achievement by giving students more time in the classroom, and also can offer classes in the evening, weekends, and into the summer months. Most charter schools feature smaller class sizes and dedicated teachers who want to make a difference, so students receive a lot of individual attention. Charter schools are held accountable for meeting and exceeding state and district academic achievement targets...
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...flexibility to meet the needs of today's families while being held accountable for improving student achievement. Charter schools are the best choice for a child’s education.
References
Breakthrough Schools. Welcome to breakthrough. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.breakthroughschools.org/ Citizens Academy. Citizens academy east and west. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.citizensacademy.org/
Lander, N. (2010). Parents choose charter schools for unique programs. Retrieved from http://www.dailypress.com
Mhoon, J. (2014). School Choice. Retrieved from http://whatdoyoubeleive.blogspot.com/2011/02/focusonthefamily-choice.html Pascual , P. (2011). Public vs. private vs. charter schools. Retrieved from http://www.greatschools.org
U.S. Department of Education. National charter school resource center. (2014) Retrieved from http://www.charterschoolcenter.org/
That broader conception of school allowed those schools to better support the students and address social issues that prevent students from accessing their full potential. This conceptual shift can only be spurred by a clear vision of “good education”—which then caused an improvement in their community’s education
Zimmer, R. and Buddin, R. (2009), Is Charter School Competition in California Improving the Performance of Traditional Public Schools?. Public Administration Review, 69: 831–845. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2009.02033.x
Charter Schools are best known for combining traits and features of both public and private schools. Charters schools are not restricted to many of the rules and policies put on other public schools (Gale 1). For example teachers are given more free reign in charters, and they are not expected to stick to a certain curriculum. Because there is no specific criteria in place for teachers of charter schools, pay scales do not have to be followed for teachers and administrators. Also, charters are publically funded and have specialized accountability for producing certain results.
She realized that choice and accountability were not the answer, but that curriculum and instruction were more viable solutions to America’s educational dilemma. Ravitch suggests that to abandon public schools is to abandon the institution that supports our concepts of democracy and citizenship and to the promise of American life (Ravitch, 2011, p. 12-14). The idea of school choice is rooted in Milton Friedman’s essay concerning the government’s role in education. Friedman asserted that society should support and contribute to the maximum freedom of the individual or the family. He maintained that the government should provide vouchers to help support parents financially on their children’s education, which parents could use at the school of their choosing; so long as the school met set standards. Therefore, this creation of choice would stimulate competition, which Friedman believed would increase the development and improvement of nonpublic schools, as well as, create a variety of school options (Ravitch, 2011, p. 115). As a result of the choice movement, the public received three versions of school choice: voucher schools, private schools, and charter schools. Each of these schools receives public funding, but do not operate as traditional public schools, and are not managed by a government agency (Ravitch, 2011, p. 121). Charter schools became the most popular choice of this new
Schools may not be equally available to all students and thereby result in unequal treatment for those not eligible to attend or not selected. Public schools could become "dumping grounds" if the "good" students were to leave and go to charter schools. The drain of funds from the public schools could also present a problem. Transportation issues would arise as well as a reexamination of state athletic association rules and regulations. Choices to attend may not be made on the basis of attending a better school or district but because the school is closer to childcare, it's perceived as easier, more convenient or has better extracurricular activities. Lawsuits could arise due to the fact that the schools would make promise regarding school performance and/or educational offerings that might not materialize. Schools could file for bankruptcy. Other issues include possible discrimination toward students and violation of state of federal laws.
As someone who has had the privilege to attend quality public educational institutions, it was eye opening to see the struggle some of these families went through in order to provide the same for their children. However, with the push for quality public education through the creation of charter schools, many of these students now have the opportunity to live out their dreams, thanks to the “superheroes” who made it possible for them. The bottom line is that the future of our country depends on our dedication toward providing all children with access to a quality education.
“Many charter schools segregate students along the racial and class lines and that they may also tend to lack services for students with disabilities or limited English proficiency, which leads to less diversity in Charter schools. Charter schools have their own school boards and are typically free to experiment with instructional and disciplinary methods, Charter schools are privately run by boards that are appointed by charter organizations rather the public which means less local accountability and
Charter schools are public schools of choice, meaning that families choose them for their children. They operate with freedom from some of the regulations that are imposed upon school districts. Charter schools are accountable for academic results and upholding the promises made in their charters.
Public and charter schools may look to be the same, but charter schools differ in many ways and have an interesting origin that is often overlooked. The concept of charter schools began in New York City around the late 1980s and early 1990s by a man name Albert Shanker. They were originally created to be teacher-run schools that would provide education and services to students struggling in the traditional school system (Karp, 2013). These schools had operated outside the administrative bureaucracy and the big city school board. Shanker initial concern was that these small charter schools were dividing the district by serving a different population with unequal access as well as weakening the power of teacher union in negotiation over district-wide policies and regulations (Karp, 2013). Because of this Shanker withdrew his support, but charters had continued to grow and states were ...
The biggest difference between charter schools and public schools is that the charter schools have their own operating system, foundation and teachers. (Ravitch, Reign of Error, chapter 16, p157-160) There also are some disadvantages in charter schools, first is the quality gap, due to the quality of teaching which almost depends on teachers and principals. The second one is differentiation between races and classes. Some charter schools’ mission is to serve minorities, such as African-Americans and Hispanics, because they want to save the nations’ culture.
from high school or have completed less than two years of college, they do not
There has been a lot of controversy over this issue mainly because of the importance of an education in a modern society. School choice initiatives are based on the premise that allowing parents to choose what schools their children attend is not only the right thing to do, but is also an important way for improving education. Instead of a one-size-fits-all model, School choice programs offer parents various options from which to pick the educational settings they believe will work best for their child. However, there is
Many people in today’s society believe it’s wise to send their children to private schools. In making the decision on whether to put children in public or private schools, they look to four main factors: curriculum, class size, the graduation rate, and cost. When people have to pay for something, their first thought is, “Will I be getting what I’m paying for?” With a private school education, the amount you have to pay is usually well worth it. Public schools offer diversity. Here students can find people who are just like them and can associate better. Wherever you live, you have to send your child to the closest school. There’s no choice on what public school you can send your child to, whereas for private schools you can pick to send your child there. It’s not an easy choice for parents to decide, but many factors point toward a guarantee that a good education would be achieved, which is most important.
It is important to note that it is a right for the children to have a quality education. In this aspect, reasonable learning environments are a critical factor contributing to children education. All parents want their children to have an access to quality and better education. In the quest for such, parents always seek learning environments with competent teachers and better learning facilities. It is therefore, common to see parents always having a choice to make between taking their children to public schools, private school or have the children taught at home. Different opinion about home schooling and public school has recently been a subject of contention. Either way, the two forms of learning should offer the learning child with a better education. Nevertheless, each of the two forms of learning environments should be supported by valid arguments as discussed below.
For some parents, deciding on a school for their children can be a difficult decision. Many parents do not spend much time thinking about it; they place their children into the local school designated by where they live. Others attended a private school themselves and found that it was a beneficial experience and therefore want the same for their kids. But which is better: private schools or public schools? While there are many advantages and disadvantages in each (nothing is going to be absolutely perfect), we are going to focus on the benefits of an education in the public school system, or in other words, schools funded by the government that are for anyone to attend. An accurate definition found in the Encyclopedia of American Education (1996) states: “Any elementary or secondary school under control of elected or appointed civil authority, supported entirely by public tax monies, and, with few exceptions, open to all students in a designated district, free of any tuition charges.” (780) These include elementary, secondary schools and vocational schools. Public schools are a good choice in education because they provide a wide variety of subjects to study, are diverse in their student body, available to everyone, yet can sometimes be misunderstood.