Comments on: Part 2: What is a Charter School?

By: washburn electric

washburn electric — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:01:35 +0000

washburn electric…

[...]Part 2: What is a Charter School? » Edurati Review[...]…

By: organizational

organizational — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 06:02:01 +0000

theory organizationa…

[...]Part 2: What is a Charter School? » Edurati Review[...]…

By: Student-sourced Curriculum & All But Graduated at Classroots.org

Student-sourced Curriculum & All But Graduated at Classroots.org — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:39:08 +0000

[...] 1:1 rigor, relevance, and relationships. We can go F2F, blended, hybrid, dual-enrollment, CTE, charter, magnet, specialty center – we can go anywhere we’ve made something. Can we go anywhere [...]

By: Joshua Cook

Joshua Cook — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:27:00 +0000

Hi Karin,

To draw a distinction, they are DEFINITELY NOT private schools. One might make the comparison to a hybrid car. A prius is not an electric car. It runs on petroleum. Charters can be said to be hybrid schools. They are still public schools in the sense that they serve the public.

I am grateful for your interest in this topic. I hope to more clearly define charter schools in the coming weeks, and to discuss their relative strengths and weaknesses compared to other systems.

By: Karin

Karin — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:29:00 +0000

Joshua,
The reason I pointed it out is due a recent study I have my grubby hands on.
It asked average citizens if they thought charter schools were public schools. 30 % answered yes. They were then read a statement by the department of education which says charter schools are public schools, which was followed by a question: Are charter schools public schools. 60% answered yes.
So when it comes to charters being public schools I always make sure it is crystal clear…

By: Joshua Cook

Joshua Cook — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:51:00 +0000

@jkowal

You are absolutely right. The realities of public schooling on the ground often prevent sponsoring agencies from holding CMOs accountable. According to the 2009 Accountability Report for Charter Schools from the Center for Education Reform, since 1992, less than 100 charter schools have been closed down by their sponsors for failure to achieve their stated academic goals.

http://www.epi.org/economic_snapshots/entry/snapshots_20090415/

By: Joshua Cook

Joshua Cook — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:38:00 +0000

@Karin

Hi Karin,

Thanks for your response. What I meant by drawing the distinction is that public schools are usually managed by a local school board of publicly elected officials i.e. a public/governmental body, whereas charters may be managed by a Non-Governmental Organization, a Non-Profit Organization or even a For-Profit Corporation whose governing officers are not elected. I am sure that there are some exceptions to this distinction, as in local schools chartered by the State, but this distinction was my intent.

By: Karin

Karin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:02:00 +0000

Hi Josh,

This is my first time on this site.
I am glad you’re writing about charters. I would just like to clarify that charters don’t just resemble public schools, they ARE public schools. I suspect you meant that charters resemble traditional schools which is true to varying degrees.

By: jkowal

jkowal — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:01:00 +0000

Hi Joshua – a very helpful post, as I think most of the general public is still not quite sure what a charter school is. I just have to point out one thing – in most states & districts, charter schools don't actually have to *outperform* the traditional public schools. I wish this were the case! But in many areas they can be getting results just as lousy as the nearby district schools and stay open. It really depends on the rigor of their sponsor/authorizer's accountability standards, and whether or not the sponsor has the resources/stomach/fortitude to shut down a school that's still better than some in the same district.

I'm usually not inclined to post on blogs but you've raised an issue that I think is critical to the future of the charter movement…and so, I just had to weigh in.