In the last several years, we’ve seen a new phenomenon amongst public schools, these are the charter schools. These schools, which are privately run as non-profit corporations, are considered public schools, but are not part of the public school system. Instead of being schools that were built by the government, they are schools which are built by educators, who propose their educational plan to the state department of education and receive a “charter” to start their school.
Charter schools typically operate under a much different philosophy than regular public schools. This philosophy is developed by the school’s founders, with specific goals in mind. One charter school may have the goal of preparing students to enter into the sciences, while another may be for students who are interested in a medical career, still another may be just to prepare students for college.
Whatever the educational philosophy and goals of the charter school, they must accept all students who apply. These aren’t schools for the elite; they are schools which are working to make the ordinary student into an elite student. They are schools where the average Joe can become the exceptional Joe.
The rate of charter school openings and attendance in these schools has been climbing drastically in the last few years. More and more parents and students are opting out of the regular public schools to take advantage of an educational opportunity that they think is better. The question is, is it truly better?
Are these schools actually accomplishing anything for our students? Are the students learning better? Are they truly brining innovation into the classroom? And if the answer is yes to these questions, what future can we predict for the other public schools?