Charter Schools: Operational Flexibility and Accountability

Charter schools are an independently public school that is granted great flexibility in its operations, in return of for a great accountability for is performance. A charter school is a public school of choice, which means that families choose them for their children. They operate with some type of freedom from some of the regulations that are imposed upon district schools. Charter schools are responsible for its academic results and for upholding the promises that are made in their charters. They also must demonstrate performance in the areas of academic achievement, financial management, and organizational stability. If a charter school does not meet performance goals, it may be closed. It’s important to know that here in New York they

are three authorizers who able to authorizes charter schools. Those three are the New York State Board of Regents, the State University of New York Board of Trustees, and local boards of education.

People such as parents, community leaders, social entrepreneurs, businesses, teachers, school districts, and municipalities are able to submit a charter school proposal to their state's charter authorizing entity. Any students is able to attend charter schools, charter schools usually accepts students by a random public lottery. It is also know that charter schools serve significantly higher percentages of minority or low-income students than the traditional public schools. Charter schools are also tuition free like public schools. They are many charter schools around but it's important to know that not all charter school are the same. They can be different their design and in their results. The results are the most important part of charter schools because those results can determined whether the school is able to stay open.

There are many good things about charter schools. In a New York Times article call “Success Academy Schools, in Shortening Their Day,

Shed a Distinction”; by Kate Taylor students at charter schools had a longer school day than public schools students. But the change because the long school hours for charter schools students has change now for the better of the students. In the article it talks about how since the teaching and the training of teachers has gotten effective, charter schools are able to cut down the amount of school hours for students. The article states, “We were finding that there were kids who did not need the extended time, and there were kids who very much did, and so one of the things we’re trying to do with the schedule id account for those different need” (Taylor 2015). The charter schools are trying to make the right decision by giving the extra school hours to students who actually need them. Another article call “Success Academy Gets $8.5 Million to Add Charter Schools in New York City”, writes about how charter schools will be receiving $8.5 million to add schools throughout New York City. The article explains that by charter schools continuing their expansion could somehow add pressure on the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio to find space for the new schools. It is stated in the article, “The network will have 34 schools as of this fall, but there appears to be enough demand for it to grow. This year it received more than 22,000 applications for fewer than 2,300 seats” (Taylo 2015). Charter schools are looking to increasing more and more over the years which is very good because it shows that charter schools are actually good and beneficial to students. The article explains that charter schools are receiving so much aids because they are actually good schools and they would like more schools to be added on. Charter schools are becoming more popular over the years.

Just like charter schools have their good side to it, it also has its bad side to it.

They are many out there who do not like charter schools and who do not agree with some of its way. In this first New York Times article call “At Success Academy Charter Schools, High Scores and Polarizing Tactics”. The article explains how usually when a student is doing badly in school; the matter is usually treated in private. But in the case of a charter school student, having bad grades gets treated out in the open. The article says, “But at Success Academy Harlem 4, one boy’s struggles were there for all to see: On two colored charts in the hallway, where the students’ performance on weekly spelling and math quizzes was tracked, his name was at the bottom, in a red zone denoting that he was below grade level” (Taylor 2015). Students have bad grades in a charter schools to have to deal with the in a much harder way than students at public schools. The article also explains how in charter schools rules are explicit and expectations precise. In charter schools students must sit with hand clasped and eyes following the speaker. Charter schools impulse much harder rules in sometimes is not good for students because it causes them to be more rebellion. In the second article call “Filling Alleges Bias at Success Academy Network against Students with Disabilities”, it talks about how 13 parents filed a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights with the federal Education Department

accusing the charter schools network of discriminating against students with disabilities by denying them accommodations and sometimes even pushing them out. The article says, “The complaint described how students with disabilities were repeatedly suspended or made to repeat grades and how administrators in several cases urged parents to remove their students from the school” (Taylor 2015). Charter schools have to find a way of treating students with disability better because at the end of the day they deserve the same treatment.