Your thoughts on Charter Schools. (Huntsville: homes, private schools, vouchers)

[hey teach]

I was asked about about Charter Schools, as a teacher. I really do not know enough to have a clear thought process to formulate an opinion. I have seen a few that are really good and some that in my opinion should be closed. I would like to hear what you as Alabama residents think about the probability of Charter Schools coming to our area. Please share your reasons for being in support or against. Thanks.

[zenjenn]

I am in favor of charter schools.

The majority of states have them, and while I am aware of all the problems and potential problems, but fundamentally, I believe in parents having autonomy over their children's education. Charter schools allow an avenue for parents to find something that works for their child without having to be able to afford private school or having the ability to homeschool.

There are lousy charter schools, but there are also lousy public schools. With a lousy charter school, at least the parent has the option of withdrawing their child. With a lousy public school - or a public school that isn't meeting the child's needs - often they don't have that option.

Charter schools are fundamentally experiments, and of course all experiments sometimes fail, but at least they are experiments parents willingly sign on for. They are great avenues to try out new models. Reject the ones that fail, and emulate those that succeed.

Finally I think sometimes people are wrongfully critical of charter schools, under the mistaken impression that they are supposed to be "better" schools. They aren't always supposed to be objectively "better", but rather an environment that better suits the needs of certain students or certain desires of the families involved.

An example might be, students with dyslexia are not well-served by Alabama public schools currently. Maybe that will change in the future, but the public school system is a big, slow-moving machine. In the meantime, there are children with dyslexia that could benefit from a different approach to education, now. Instead of having an expensive private school for dyslexia here in Huntsville (Greengate), wouldn't it be nice if there was an option for parents to get together and form a charter school that all children with dyslexia could benefit from regardless of their parents' ability to pay?

It is important, however, that charter schools have their finances and policies monitored and open to public scrutiny. They need to be 100% transparent.

[LCTMadison]

zennjenn, you always have the best insight regarding education!

[hey teach]

Thank you Zenn Jenn. You have made some excellent points.. Well worthy of consideration.

[Reactionary]

My first exposure to charter schools was in DC. Some of the charter schools were examples of what zennjenn advises not to do - they were not transparent about finances or policies. I remember one charter school where reporters visiting the school were assaulted. Unsurprisingly, the Marcus Garvey school offered a curriculum focused on leftist activism.

Charter critics have long warned that the freedom given to charters leads to abuse, and they’ve been proven right in some cases. Of the 67 charters opened in the District, 12 have been closed, mostly for financial mismanagement.

Within months of opening one of the city’s first charters, the principal and a few staffers at the Marcus Garvey Public Charter School assaulted a Washington Times reporter and two police officers; Garvey was later closed after questions were raised about its fiscal management.

What's Going on in DC's Charter Schools | Education | Washingtonian

IMO charter schools might help improve student achievement - we've got nothing to lose by trying. Our current public education system doesn't seem to work for most students. Then again, our current culture doesn't seem to produce mostly good students.

[NoleFanHSV]

I guess the question I have is instead of charter schools..why not vouchers for private schools instead?

[hey teach]

Thanks, Reactionary for you thoughts and the link.

Noles, could you expound on you thinking about vouchers. I am really interested on everyones thoughts.

[NoleFanHSV]

My understanding is that Charter schools are paid through tax dollars to supplement failing schools and have a different set of regulations, testing, and standards. Instead of forming said charter schools, the states could provide vouchers for those students to go to known performing private schools.

[FatTails]

Well, I'm totally against vouchers. The biggest factor in a school's achievement is the socioeconomic status of the families that feed into it. Vouchers generally only cover part of a private school's tuition, meaning the poorer families are left out. The public schools, in effect, become a dumping ground for families who don't care enough or don't have the means to pay for private school. The other big argument I've heard against vouchers is the state is using tax money to fund religious institutions, thus skirting the separation of church and state. That argument doesn't hold water with me, but I do think vouchers are inherently unfair to the families that could use them the most.

As for charter schools, I'm from Arizona which has either the 1st or 2nd highest rate of students attending charter schools, and they were all terrible. I'm not necessarily against them, but I haven't seen them improve quality of education.

[zenjenn]

I'm actually not opposed to vouchers necessarily, but I do think that's a more dangerous and complicated route. First, there's the economy involved (with charter schools you can control enrollment trends, while with vouchers certain blips in enrollment trends could leave a public school in a financial lurch). Second, there's a big hot topic as to whether vouchers can be used at religious schools (and most private schools are religious) as tax dollars end up going to religious institutions. And then if the schools are private, the transparency I mentioned that is so important, becomes much more difficult to maintain.

It's not that I necessarily think vouchers are absolutely bad, but I do think there are a lot more moving parts to consider, and you'd have to approach vouchers *very* carefully.