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COURIER LIFE, MARCH 19-25, 2021 11
Charter Schools
Here are some benefi ts of enrolling
your child in a charter school
BY HANNAH MALLARD
Charter schools are independentlyoperated
public schools accountable
for advancing student achievement.
New York City’s 267 charter schools
are independent of the New York City
Department of Education, but if they
don’t meet certain student achievement
standards, they can be closed.
This combination of freedom and accountability
allows charter teachers
to adapt their classrooms based on
their students’ needs while pushing
for high academic achievement.
There are currently 138,613 charter
students in New York City. This
population makes up 13% of New York
City’s public school students. 79% of
these students are economically disadvantaged
students. (Numbers are
based on preliminary enrollment for
the 2020-21 school year.
New York City’s charter schools
have become a popular option for
many students, especially from minority
and economically disadvantaged
families. Charter schools offer
students opportunities for academic
success that unfortunately cannot
be said for some of the city’s public
schools.
We’ve included a list of charter
school benefi ts below to help you
and your family consider if a charter
school is the right fi t for your student!
NYC Charters Outperform Other
Public Schools
According to statistics from New
York state exams in 2019, 63% of charter
students in grades three through eight
passed the state math exam and 57% of
charter students were profi cient in English
Language Arts.
New York’s charter students outperformed
their peers from traditional
public schools: 46% of traditional
public school students passed
the state math exam and 47% of these
students were profi cient in English
Language Arts.
NYC Charters Do Not Succeed
at the Expense of District
Schools
A common myth is that as New
York’s charter schools succeed, the
city’s traditional public schools fail as
a result.
A 2018 study by the Manhattan Institute
concluded that “competition
from New York City charter schools
has either no effect, or a positive effect,”
on the city’s traditional public
schools.
In fact, district schools have improved
signifi cantly as charter
schools have spread throughout New
York City’s fi ve boroughs. Funding
for district schools has also increased
as the student population at charter
schools has gone up over the years.
Charter Schools are Specialized,
with No Tuition Costs
Charter teachers adapt their classrooms
and teaching methods to the
current needs of their students. This
freedom in the curriculum, teaching
style, school missions and policies
resembles that of private schools, enabling
charter schools to provide the
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