Behind the hype of charter schools

[The Straight Story]

Behind the hype of charter schools

One of the most important challenges facing parents is how to get the best education for their child. Private school or public school? Conventional or charter? Many parents, including President Barack Obama, have become increasingly interested in the charter option.

The charter school movement has been growing. Across the country, more than 5,000 charter schools teach a million-and-a-half students. And more are on the way.

The Race to the Top education program offers more than $4 billion in federal grants to states that are willing to, among other things, lift the cap on the number of new charter schools in their state.

Here in California, the first charter school was opened in 1993. Today there are more than 800, with about 40 new schools opening each year.

But now there are concerns that what charters promise isn't always what they produce. In East Palo Alto, families who have chosen to enroll their children in local charter schools have faced both success and failure. KALW's Education Reporter Nancy Mullane has the story.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/kalw/detail?entry_id=65336#ixzz0qJZ1iI3o


Much more at link

[Orlandodem]

1. Don't believe the hype. My nephew was in a charter school for kindergarten.

My brother-in-law pulled him out at mid year when he realized his son wasn't progressing properly. He was enrolled in the local traditional public school and they helped him catch up but not enough to avoid being held back for his K year. As a parent I understand the desire to help your kid get a good education, but a LOT of charters are awful!

[The Straight Story]

2. My daughter is Home schooled via one, but the first one we tried coming back here sucked

I hate them in ways I cannot even describe.

It was so bad we pulled her out and put her back into the one we used for K (she was in public for 1st grade).

They did not like us pulling her out. I called them, let them know, more than once. They had a truant officer call. Called them too.

Then they called childrens services on us saying she was not attending school (she was already enrolled in another school). The guy who came out that night (7pm) closed the case/file by 10pm and apologized to us.

Frigging idiots.

[roguevalley]

3. one of the problems with charter v public is that they can kick out

anyone who is a problem and they can choose their student body.

[Dappleganger]

4. Yep,

they can pick the cream of the crop from the district, robbing other schools of the chance to improve their scores. They can choose to not offer services to ESE kids as well. What happens then are all the great students are sucked up, leaving the regular schools with struggling students who struggle even more so.

[donco6]

5. And forget it if you have any kind of disability.

Especially major medical.

[artfan]

6. My sons attend a public charter highschool

and although it is not perfect it is much better than our local high school (which is a high performing one).
-the school gets far from the cream of the crop many of the students are 'rejects' from their local high schools

-the kids are treated with more respect and have more respect for their teachers than in other schools

-one of my sons has been very ill all year and the school has been excellent in helping him stay with his peers teachers stay after with him, have offered to extend the year for him, will carry over his missing assignments rather than force him into summer school and emphasize that he not sacrifice his health for school and work with him

-they work hard to create a 'community' rather than just talk about it

-my biggest complaint is with the state board of ed not the school. if a kid fails grads nine and then transfers to this school it has negative impact on the schools rating because they do not meet the standard for graduating on time. This year's graduating class could not meet the standard even if every kid passed every class for the duration of their stay at the school because so many transferred in after failing in an earlier school

-in so many schools we have built huge warehouses for young people where all too often the teachers can not develop relationships with the students that create an environment where kids learn to become the best people they can be schools have become factories where kids 'meet standards' , 'complete capstone projects', and take 'statewide assessment tests' no where in the mix is showing kids how to think and solve problems.