To Charter or Not to Charter

Blog #4

According to the NEA (National Education Agency), charter schools are defined as "publicly funded elementary or secondary schools that have been freed from some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools, in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each charter school's charter. "

Charter schools began in 1991 with two schools in Minnesota and have since grown exponentially. There are now 390 charter schools in Texas alone, serving over 100,000 students, via Texas Charter Schools' website.

These schools have higher graduation rates, higher test scores, and are able to focus more on the students and on their performance. Charter schools also have the ability to remove students that are disruptive or that are not willing to learn, providing them with the "better" students and helping out their test scores and their accountability rating. The following video shows the benefits of charter schools, using Chicago as their basis.

The next video displays Kansas' charter schools and how their scores are not better than the public schools in the same area, the scores are actually not meeting state standards.

Since charter schools are the newest rage, it is up to you to make your decision on which you think is better, whether it's for your career or your child's education.

Until next time, Online Games
- Lauren


References:

Charter Schools. National Education Agency. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/charter

Texas Charter Schools Association. Retrieved from http://www.txcharterschools.org/

You Tube (2008). Pros & Cons of Charter Schools. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w1b-8FV2qI

You Tube (2011). Charter schools vs. public-which is better? Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOZNCZguGvQ&feature=related