What exactly are Charter Schools?
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, F BTR EB. 19-25, 2021 31
education
BY ALEX MITCHELL
In places like the Bronx
and elsewhere, there is a viable
alternative to public and
private education – charter
schools.
But, what exactly are charter
schools and how do they
differ and align with other
methods of education?
According to publiccharters.
org, a national website
promoting the growth of
such academies, all charter
schools are tuition-free public
schools, “which are open
to all students, regardless of
their zip code.”
“The charter school model
empowers teachers to provide
innovative, high-quality instruction
and gives them the
autonomy to design a classroom
that fi ts their students’
needs,” according to the website.
In the U.S., charter schools
exist in 44 out of the 50 states,
enrolling 3.3 million students
and 219,000 teachers into
7,500 schools across America.
There are currently $440,000
million invested in funding
for charter schools nationwide.
However, the state of
New York has a “cap” on the
amount of charter schools allowed
to operate statewide at
a total of 460, with an even
tighter grip on ones being
able to operate in New York
City, according to the New
York City Charter School
Center.
These sort of schools are
also led by “dynamic principals,”
with the fl exibility to
“create a school culture that
fosters student performance
and parent satisfaction.”
Nationwide, charter
schools operate under a contract
with an authorizer,
many of which create a charter
through a nonprofi t organization,
government agency
or university.
It is this charter which
holds schools accountable
to “the high standards” outlined
in such a binding agreement
– in New York, charter
schools are districtly
funded and are eligible to
raise money through private
means.
Charter schools are commonly
led by former teachers
“who wanted to take the lessons
they learned in the classroom
and apply those lessons
to an entire school,” according
to publiccharters.org.
The over 7,000 nationwide
schools themselves are often
unique from one another in
appearance and curriculum;
most are city based though
some exist in more rural areas
too.
Some focus on college prep,
while others delve into a STEM
curriculum or focus more on
arts.
Some charter schools require
uniforms and hours for
learning vary longer or shorter,
there are also many which institute
a bilingual curriculum.
“The possibilities are endless,
but charter schools aim
to provide a range of options
so that parents can choose the
public school that best fi ts their
child,” publiccharters.org published.
“Charter schools provide
families with options in public
education, allowing parents
to take a more active role
in their child’s education,” the
site added.
These kind of schools have
seen bipartisan political support
since fi rst incepted in
Minnesota during the year
1991.
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