CHARTER SCHOOLS

Charter schools are nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. The "charter" establishing each such school is a performance contract detailing the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. The basic premise of Charter schools is that they exercise increased autonomy in return for accountability for both academic results and fiscal practices to their private sponsors, parents, and the states which fund them (uscharterschools.org).

In reviewing various internet resources, Charter Schools are described as those which are: publicly funded (no vouchers), open to all students (although there may be a lottery system or waiting list), claimed innovators in public education, and committed to improving public education. The claimed benefits and predominant differences between Charter and public schools include: increased opportunities for learning and access to quality education for all students, choice for parents and students within the public school system, being highly accountable for academic results, implementation of innovative teaching practices, and supposedly high community and parental involvement in public education (wikipedia.org).

There are many differences between Charter schools and other public schools. The predominant one is that Charter schools permit teachers and students more authority to make decisions regarding curriculum choice. Instead of being accountable for compliance with rules and regulations such as upholding state mandated curriculum standards, they are accountable for academic results and for upholding their unique charter. Parents and teachers choose charter schools primarily for educational reasons such as high academic standards, small class size, safety, innovative approaches, and educational philosophies which are congruent with theirs.

According to the literature perused on the internet, The New Jersey Charter School Program Act of 1995 authorized the establishment a charter school program. The first cohort consisted of 13 charter schools which first began operations during the 1997-1998 school year. By the 2000-2001 school year, the fourth year of charter school operations, there were 54 charter schools operating in the State of New Jersey serving over 10,000 students. During the 2008-2009 school year, there were 65 charter school in NJ, with approximately 20,496 students enrolled (state.nj.us.education/chartsch). The national statistics during this same time frame indicated 4,624 Schools of choice with an enrollment figure of 1,536,099 students. According to the Center for Educational Reform (edreform.com), currently there are more than 5,000 Charter Schools serving more than 1.5 million in 39 states and the District of Columbia. On average, charter schools are funded at $6,585 per pupil compared to $10,771 per pupil at conventional district public schools. However, of the over 5,250 charter schools that have ever opened, 657 have closed since 1992 with 41 percent of the nation's charter closures resulting from financial deficiencies caused by either low student enrollment or inequitable funding, 27 percent closed for mismanagement and 14 percent closed for poor academic performance. All are not success stories (njcharterschools.org).

Statistically, Charter schools appear most extensively available in areas of the country with a preponderance of more disadvantaged, lower socio-economic populations. A 2004 report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education found that charter schools are smaller than conventional public schools and serve a disproportionate and increasing number of poor and minority students. A Harvard University study in that same year found that charter school students are more likely to be proficient in reading and math than students in neighboring conventional schools. The greatest achievement gains were observed among African American, Hispanic, or low-income students. Those in operation for more than 5 years outpaced conventional schools by as much as 15 percent.

According to the results of the Civil Rights Project at UCLA (2009), claims were made that public charter schools are more racially isolated than regular public schools in most states and large urban areas. The authors found that African American students in public charter schools are much more likely than their counterparts in regular public schools to be educated in a segregated environment. In a typical Charter school attended by an African American student, nearly three out of four classmates were of the same ethnicity. The study offers several recommendations for ensuring equity and integration in public charter schools, including establishing new guidance and reporting requirements by the federal government and heightened enforcement of existing state-level legislation with specific provisions regarding diversity and monitoring patterns of public charter school enrollment and attrition (csmonitor.com).

In reviewing the literature and opinions of various sources, the reader remains curious but skeptical for a few reasons regarding the advent and surge of Charter Schools. As reported in much of the literature, the most prominent descriptors seem to summarize the findings: accountability, standards, innovation, equity, and shared responsibility. There is a demand for meaningful and measurable change to the current education system which entails an openness to new ideas, with the insistence that schools produce results yet comply with reasonable rules and federal/state guidelines. It would seem that if parents were to be involved in the public school system to the extent boasted by Charter schools, then public schools would experience a congruent rise in student academic performance. There is a public cry for the demand of a variety of factors which have historically demonstrated increased student success: smaller class size, the provision of programs which encourage student individualism and creativity, alternative teaching methodologies, and parental and community involvement. These could result in such target outcomes as a love of learning among youth, low student attrition, and higher national academic standing. Let us not forget the ultimate goal of education: to produce capable, confident, and wise contributing members of our society.

Other References

Chartock, A. (2010). Charter schools vs. public schools. Kingston, NY: Daily Freeman Newspaper.

Ornstein, A. & Hunkins, F. (2009). Curriculum: Foundations, Principles, and Issues. Boston: Pearson.