Post by Karin on May 26, 2009 20:24:21 GMT -5
While I can’t tell you which school choice is best for your family, I can help you understand charter schools a little better. Just covering charter school basics will take more than one blog, so we’ll spend the next few weeks chipping away at the topic. Think of it as your daily charter school nugget.
Let’s start with the definition.
Charter schools are public schools that are accountable for its student achievement and operate independently from its authorizer.
Charter schools are designed to self-govern to a great extent and answer to fewer regulations than traditional public schools. This permits charter schools greater freedom in teaching techniques, curriculum, hiring decisions, and more.
Some definitions of charter schools refer to them as experimental. They once were, but eighteen years after charter school laws were first created in Minnesota, one can no longer say that the charter concept is experimental.
There are more than 4,500 charter schools across our nation. Each of these schools is unique in their education offering and designed to meet varying needs of the communities they serve.