With all of the talk about the struggles of America's public school system, one solution being debated is the use of charter schools.
Charter schools are essentially privately run schools that receive public funding. They are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to regular public schools, however, to continue receiving funding they must be held accountable and produce certain results - namely, their students must improve their proficiency in reading, math, and other subjects.
In a 2008 survey of charter schools, 59% of the schools reported that they had a waiting list, averaging almost 200 students. So the demand is clearly present.
The idea is that families who live in a district where their children would normally be sent to a below-par or failing school would instead have the option of sending their children to a charter school that, in theory, could provide them a better education.
Here is the central question in the political debate... Should charter schools be an integral part of the solution in improving America's public school system, or should those resources that would go towards funding charter schools be better utilized by investing them directly into improving public schools themselves? On one side of the debate, many people argue that healthy public schools are vital to a democratic society. On the other side, many parents argue that, in practical terms, their children need a quality education today, and they are less concerned with who provides it.
How can we best allocate our resources?
I think that is important to spend money on the school but for what purpose. Physical facilities doesn't improve student performance. We have an example of this problem in Kansas City, where the school system spent money in new facilities. But students grades or test scores did not improve. The only way they got some average scores was importing some good students to the school. I will say that could be a better option to spend that money improving the school system instead of wasting money trying to develop new building.
ReplyDeleteArmando Hernandez
I have visited many public schools as well as charter schools in the city, and from my perspective there is a great difference. The discipline that is seen is a charter school is far better than a standard public schools. i am all for charter school. I would definetly support the expenses that are being invested in charter schools. students in NYC who go to charter school do have a higher rate of attending College. They are also more advanced academically. they go to summer class over the summer to prepare them for the next grade. I think Charter schools are great.
ReplyDeleteNoriella Santos
I think it would be unfair for the government to concentrate on kids who qualify for charter schools. I think it would be better for the government to invest on improving public schools because from what I have heard, the statistics on how well kids are doing in certain areas such as english and math are pretty low and each year less high schoolers are graduating but are becoming less prepared for college which is unfortunate because in today's world, you need a college degree to obtain a well paying job. If the government invests on improving public schools then the statictics I mentioned might change drastically.
ReplyDeleteDanielle D.
Admittedly, I'm not very knowledgeable about this subject, but I think the common goal for all schools are to give children a quality education.
ReplyDeleteNow if public school's are offering sub-par educations that compels parents to send their children off to charters as opposed to private schools...then why isn't funding (both public and private) and higher accountability standards just focused on the public schools?
Wouldn't that eliminate the need for charters?
Couldn't public school offer specialized course material that the charters schools can?
Couldn't private donations be made to the failing public schools?
This is a random story, but I heard George Lopez donated money to his former high school to pay for championship rings for the baseball team. Alicia Keys went to my public school and i'm sure she and other high-profile celebrities and wealthy people could give back to their former schools to increase the opportunity for a quality education WITHOUT the need for charter schools which are selective in terms of whom they allow to attend.
C.Cox-Cintron
The problem with the education system in America is one of decay. One administration after the other has deemed education worthy of attention nearing neglect: education budgets have oftentimes been cut when there are budgetary and fiscal issues. Indeed, education is one of the things to be trimmed. As a result, charter schools serve to augment public schools. If they produce better results/students, and the only difference between them and public schools is that they are run by private hands, then shouldn't all public schools be converted to charter schools? Certainly something to think about.
ReplyDeleteThe emotion and human element connected to American politics means that, without a re-alignment of priorities and the re-establishing of national goals, there will not be an immediate reformation of the education system. For that reason, charter schools should not be discredited by anyone but rather given even more funding, and built to enroll and educate even more students in my opinion.
Cheers,
Amir A.
While i do not know the way charter school operate, i can argue that the system applied in the charter School are much better tan the ones in Public Schools.
ReplyDeleteFrom my understanding, Charter School which also operate as Public school enforces students to do well or else they could be ejected from the school. while in public school students tend to have more freedom and the system of education is not so strict or regulated.
when it come to Charter Schools vs. Public School, one can also argue that the support and the contribution of the parents can be different. For example if you examine the parents of a student that goes to charter school, you can find out that the majority of the parents are highly contributing to child education lives. it's almost mandatory for the parents. Similarly, in public School where students are not required to keep higher standard of academic achievements, CERTAIN parents tend to be less supportive. this can be due to timing issue (the parents could possibly be working everyday).
one can also argue that the board of education should reform some of the system it has been pursuing in the case of improving public High schools. instead of giving block grants, it should select representative to observe and analyze the lower performing schools and perhaps create a newer policy that will reform the public schools systems. also setting higher standard and rewarding students within these public school, with better opportunity and more in formations and scholarship can encourage students to perform better.
ALIMOU DIALLO
Charter schools are vital in today's education system. There are a lot of very smart kids that can not afford to go to private schools where you have to pay for a better education. If certain kids have good grades they should be able to attend a charter school, because the education is better and they have a higher chance to do better if they have other kids that also perform well.
ReplyDeleteI feel that even though they do get government money not every one should be able to just get in based on their district. If that happens then it will just become another public school where you have kids that are basically forced to go to school and are not serious. It is not fair for the kids that actually want to learn but end up getting a bad education because of the other kids. I personally went to a private high school where I had to take a test and had to have a certain grade point average to get in because I knew the education was better. I also went to a public junior high school and their is a big different with the students and teacher. In my public school there were just kids that would always play around and distract everyone from learning, many other kids thought it was funny. A lot of the teacher really do not do anything about it. In a private school you do have class clowns, but to an extent. There was always a time and place for anything. In public schools certain kids do not know the difference.
Charter school should not be the solution for bad kids. It needs to start with the kids and their families to influence positive views on school. If the parents are so concerned about the "bad schools" they should encourage good grades to their kids so they can get a better education. I am not saying that the in order to get into a good school you need to good grades, but there has to be some drive for the kids to want to do better. If you get good grades why should you suffer with kids that are forced to go to school?
Natasha Matombo
Having gone to junior high and part of high school in a charter school in Pennsylvania, I can speak from experience that charter schools offer better quality education than public schools. Of course I cannot speak for all but in my opinion, charter schools are the best alternative for students who feel as if they are not receiving a fulfilling learning experience at public schools. However with that said, during my 5 years at my charter school, I began to notice a trend of students enrolling, who for one reason or another did not succeed (dropped out) from nearby public schools who were not focused and causing many problems within the classroom.
ReplyDeleteThis can become a bigger issue, as parents of public school students use charter schools as a last resort, which means they are not satisfied with the quality of education at public schools. Although I truly believe that the government should still try to fund charter schools, the majority of the funds should help public schools, as that is where the majority of the students are going to school. As a nation, we always rely on a bright future being very critical to our successes. If public schools are not being funded and if they are not being held accountable for low performance from the students, we will continue to see this trend of parents sending their children to charter school, as their only other alternative. Charter schools will also continue to have an issue of overcrowding, which will make it more difficult to support all of the new arriving students.
Basically what I am saying is regarding charter schools, if it isn't broken, don't fix it. Continue to fund charter schools minimally and start funding public schools in areas where they desperately need help. Especially the government should help fund public schools in low income areas, as they need it most. They should focus more on education itself and the performance of the students, therefore charter schools would not have any problem with overcrowding.
Paul Zehngut
I think the government should focus more in public schools to enhance and improve the quality of education to those needy ones, as those students come from lower middle to poor class family who don't have the resources to enroll their children in private schools to guarantee a brighter future for them.
ReplyDeletePublic schools usually the home and the only option for children who comes from minority back grounds and different ethnic groups, who speaks at lease one different language at home than English, which is good for the future of America hand expansion to the rest of the world in order to trade, fight terrorism, and bring a mutual understanding between cultures.
By increasing the funds to public schools that will help in enriching the quality of its graduates and will bring equality to the majority of the public which will be a satisfactory element has a lot of effect in trusting their governments and the propose is created for to serve the needy public.
Maged B
Charter schools may seem like the immediate solution to education in the inner-city. They have some benefits, such as more disciplined children as a result of uniform rules. Specialization of some charter schools (such as a school devoted to the arts, for example) may also encourage students to embrace learning.
ReplyDeleteBut are they successful? A study conducted in 2009 by Stanford University found that a majority of Charter Schools preformed at the same level (46 %) or worse (37 %) than public schools. Only 17 % of the Charter schools did significantly better than public schools.
Why is this? It may be that students do not embrace learning, due to various circumstances. Also, most of the popular culture that children are exposed to does not emphasize learning. Other countries spend less per student on public schools than the U.S., yet their students fare better academically. The solution may be, rather than sending more funding, or restructuring funding, of public and charter schools, to emphasize learning (and make it seem more interesting and fun to children) more in the mass media and popular culture.
Richard C.
I don't think Charter Schools produce any significant results. Results come from the teachers and students. THe money used to fund charter schools could better be used to fund different programs to aim at the children. THese programs should emphasize learning and should instead, aim to figure out ways to make learning something children want to do, and seek to do rather than something they are forced to do. I attended a charter school, and with the exception of bureaucratic politics, there was no difference in what was learned and how it was taught. Just like all schools, you have the students who want to learn, you have the children who dont want to learn, and the rest who fall in the between of the spectrum. The quality of education recieved is what the student makes of it. Education isn't just the government's responsibility but parent's, children and teachers. The government can provide funding to help foster a healthy adaptable learning environment, but it is up to parents and students to reap the benefit of it. Charter schools seem redundant.
ReplyDeleteK.B.
I believe that charter schools should be an integral part of the solution in improving America’s public school system for the simple fact that these schools are in high demand and cater to the higher learning of children. Personally, I believe that charter schools do a better job at preparing children who are in High School for College. In elementary school I attended a public school and I hated it. It was my first time going to school in America and I was not used to it. The environment was different; everything was different from the schools I attended in the West Indies. Then I transferred to a charter school in Manhattan and I learned a lot from that school. When I graduated high school, I felt like I had a good I idea of what was expected of me in college and also what to expect.
ReplyDeleteDespite my belief that charter schools should a part of the solution in improving American public schools, I also believe that public schools should also be improved. There is a high waiting list for charter schools, so this means that every parent who wants to send their children to charter schools will not be able to. Therefore, the children who are in public schools need the same support from the government. They should be able to receive high quality education also. Early Education and learning is important to every child. What children learn now will stay with them throughout a life time, whether it’s basic Math or learning how to tie their shoe laces. No child should be deprived of that privilege.
La Moure Lewis
charter schools are great and all but what about using that existing funding that are being used for charter schools and putting it into public schools? obviously every student cannot attend a charter school if there is a waiting list to get in. i say that we hold the public schools to higher standards and work with what we already have;plus,everyone cannot afford to go to charter schools.
ReplyDeleteAndres O'Connor
Public schools are held accountable by the government because of the financial support that they receive. However, there are many public schools that do not have the essential instruments that they require in order to deliver the quality of education every student needs.
ReplyDeleteWhat I have seen in the public schools that I have visited is a great lack of resources such as technology and basic materials (chalk, paper, markers, manipulatives) that most of the time have to be provided by the teachers who pay for them with their own money. I have also seen inequality in teacher performance. By this I mean that there are many teachers who do not have the proper preparation to be playing the role of educators and that instead of helping in the student’s growth, are hindering their intellectual and many times their emotional development. For this reason I believe that it is best to use the funds provided by the government to improve not only public school facilities but to invest them in guaranteeing appropriate training for teachers.
I understand that charter schools are in many ways a good alternative for some parents who prefer a more innovative and experimental education. These schools have their own policies and their own original way of delivering education to students. However, I believe that charter schools can receive financial support from families who agree with the schools’ educational principles. Some charter schools are less concerned with academic pursuits, and more geared to allow freedom to experimenting. I am not against charter schools, however, I believe that our public schools are very much in need of financial support and that is where we must allocate our financial resources.
I think Charter schools should continue to be funded. It's not fair for a child not to have as many options as possible when it comes to education. Normally children are automatically sent to their "zone schools" or the schools closest to them and that may not always be the best option.
ReplyDeleteIf my parents were more involved and aware of the charter school option I would have probably attended a Charter school. Zone schools are not always the best options because they are often over crowded because of school budget cuts. There are less teachers which means that there are more students to a classroom making it very hard for children to get the individualized attention that they deserve.
Keeping the Charter schools funded and opened is a good idea. The more schools, the better. If Charter school were to loose funding they would also have to lay-off and fire teachers which would only make the unemployment rate in this country rise.
-N. Arthur
I think those resources that would go towards funding charter school be better utilized by investing them directly into improving public schools themselves. Even though I had been in public high school only for two year, I clearly remember that the rate of high school graduation was very low, about 40% due to students fail the classes and region exams. If those funds provide for public school to have after school classes so that all students can graduate on time and have a good preparation for the college.
ReplyDeleteI think those resources that would go towards funding charter school be better utilized by investing them directly into improving public schools themselves. Even though I had been in public high school only for two year, I clearly remember that the rate of high school graduation was very low, about 40% due to students fail the classes and region exams. If those funds provide for public school to have after school classes so that all students can graduate on time and have a good preparation for the college.
ReplyDeletePS: Forgot the name on the previous comment
Yiquan Chen
In my opinion, both charter and public schools should receive funding.The government should put a stipulation in order for continuous funding. The school should provide documentation of productivity and the end of each school term to the government. Whether charter or public schools perform poorly the funding should be given to the school with a better performance rate overall.
ReplyDeleteI believe in accountability, promotes productivity. If I am hold liable, it would motivate me to encourage everyone to play their part in the team. It is a team effort, from the Board of Education, to parents.
J.Longmore
I understand the argument for charter schools, but I think that we should utilize funding to help improve our public schools. Because if charter schools were to be more prevalent in the education system, they will be a profit motive behind in making charter schools by private companies. I too believe in accountability, productivity in teaching the next generation the essential foundations to become a well educated citizens. That's why with the public schools, there can be more forms of regulations and standards to follow instead of relying on charter schools.
ReplyDeleteMichael C.
From a person whose former highschool will soon be a charter school I was strongly againist the idead of charter schools. but, since learning exactly how a charter school functions I do not oppose the charter school system anymore. I think the appeal of charter school has todo with the status of public education in the United States. most people are seeking for better education policies, and increase in budgets. the fact that the funding from the government depends on how students preform on exams this enable teachers and other school to prefrom better too.
ReplyDeletepublic school are highly criticized for teachers, and their interaction and teaching level. I am not aware if a teacher can be let go more easily in the charter school system but the fact that firing a teacher in public schools is nearly impossible this enable some teacher to not work as hard. In charter school teacher would have to work hard on their part so student have better result so the school can get funding.
The idea that there is a consequence or reward for teachers to teach well will enable for there to be more better teacher therefore better should. Of course the students will to work also matters. Government funds should be untilized for charter schools, not only are these school smaller, students getting more attentions, they will enable teachers to take their jobs more seriously.
sabina sajid
The concept of charter schools seems like a good idea, but even by changing the management of the school, it doesn't necessarily mean that the students will show results. As Sabina Sajid said, the students must have the will to work in order for the idea of a charter school to work. Plus there is the issue of what happens to the teachers that were at the public school turned charter school? If the teachers were the problem in the first place, then they shouldn't be reinstated.
ReplyDeleteThe best way to deal with the problem of failing schools is to make the failing schools into charter schools and keep the successful public schools from falling apart. This can be done by continuously evaluating the teachers and placing students in classes where they don't feel like they are below everyone else in learning capacity.
L.D.
I agree with the point of some parents that "healthy public schools are vital to a democratic society" this sis true a healthy school gives good education to children, and that leads to a good society. I believe that the funds that would go to charter schools should go to funding extra programs to public schools. This would not just increase the success rate of public schools but it would also increase the chances of more kids to be more successful, as you mentioned that charter schools have a waiting list and this makes it harder for some of them to get the "better education," I think that managing public schools the same way that charter schools are managed would be a good start in making our schools more efficient.
ReplyDeleteClaudia Chevez
I think charter schools are a great idea. I believe possibly reforming education is a great way to get children more interested. Not every one learns the same way and to take education and try it differently, change the rules, and allow people to possibly learn in a more hands on way can possibly be a great idea for students.
ReplyDeleteennovy s
For comparison between the traditional public school and charter school, I think they both have their advantages and disadvantages, public schools provide metro cards, tuition fee and lunch for the low income families, the disadvantages are the average of the math, English and other skills are lower than the charter schools. The advantage of charter schools are they provide the high quality of education to the student. “They have the independence of using their own ways of teaching”. As result, the grades of charter school’s student are better than the public school’s students. The disadvantages are “They may have less-than-optimal facilities and resources. This is especially true for newly opened charter schools”. “They don’t have to follow government regulations – again, this one is both an advantage and disadvantage”. “It’s a disadvantage because some charter schools may avoid important standards, such as teacher certification”. “They require that parents cover transportation costs”. (Advantages and Disadvantages of Charter Schools).
ReplyDeleteI think government should make a policy for the public and charter school. Such as the students of both public and charter school must have over 65% average of some important course (math and English), which of the school cannot achieves that measurement, then the school will be shut down by the government. Because the government’s budgets are limited, I think the government should put the budget on schools which have achieves that measurement.
-cheng en lin