Subscribe to RSSChoosing between a Charter School and a Public School
Guest Post by Julie Smith of Online PhD:
What is a Charter School?
A good definition of a charter school is a public school that does not have to follow the same rules, regulations, and curriculum as a public school because it is not completely funded by the taxpayer. However, in exchange for this freedom, the charter school is given a rigorous set of standards it is required to follow and attain within a certain period of time- usually three to five years. If it does not achieve this goal, its Charter could be revoked.
What Types of Children Attend Charter Schools?
Originally charter schools were started to help the poorest of the poor get a better education. As they have evolved, this has turned out not to necessarily be the case. There is not any set person that can demand that a child go to a charter school, so applying, getting into, and going to a Charter school takes a lot of self-initiative. Finding out about a charter school takes investigation. Figuring out how your child is going to get to the school every morning takes ingenuity. In the end, parents who are unable or unwilling to take the time and energy to research charter schools and figure out ways to make it work for their family cannot get their child into a charter program. Also, charter schools really are not known for admitting high risk, or extremely challenging students. They simply do not have the capacity for it.
Most charter schools have about 200 students and their grades are divided up differently then the normal public schools. For instance, they might have first through fourth grade, and then fifth through twelfth grade. It just depends on the size of the school and the number of students enrolled.
Are Charter Schools Better than Public Schools?
There is a major difference of opinion on whether charter or public schools are better.
In charter schools, the student population is smaller so the learning is more focused. However, charter schools are usually based on some sort of theme such as music and language arts, or science and mathematics. In order for this to work for your child, you need to make sure your child is interested in something like this. If they are, then a charter school probably means success for your child. If not, then your child might experience a lot of frustration in his/her education.
Public schools are not performing the way they should be because of overcrowding and bad management. This does give charter schools some advantage. However, do your research and make sure that just because the title of the school says charter, that the school is really up to par. Remember, they have three to five years to get it right, make sure they are getting it right before juggling you student around.
Julie Smith is a content writer for Online Schools and Online MBA who gives advice on the pursuit of education and living a healthy life. She also is a contributing writer for a site that helps students determine the best online nursing programs for them. In her free she enjoys working out, going to movie premiers and playing with her dog Coty.
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