A Charter School Primer

What is a charter school? How are charter schools different than traditional public schools?

Charter schools are semi-independent public schools that operate outside of the traditional model of public education. They get their name because school operators, be they a group of educators, parents, community leaders or private organizations, receive a legal charter to establish and operate the school, typically for a set number of years.

Charter schools are public schools, but operate mostly independently of the local school district. They are able to choose their own methods and processes to educate students, but accept a higher level of accountability for doing so. Charter schools that fail to meet these objectives can have their charter revoked.

The Center for Education Reform says there are more than 3,600 charter schools in the United States. More than 40 states currently have some form of charter school legislation.

Are charter schools the same as magnet schools?

No. Magnet schools, like many charter schools, emphasize a particular educational philosophy or have a distinctive curriculum, but are run directly by local school districts.

Are charter schools the same as alternative schools?

No. The term "alternative schools" tends to refer to public schools which are designed for students who have significant challenges in conventional schools, such as behavior disorders. Alternative schools are run by local school districts or by states, not charters. Alternative schools are similar to many charter schools in their use of nontraditional teaching methods, however.

Are charter schools related to vouchers?

No. Vouchers are programs in which parents receive money to pay for tuition at private schools, while charter schools are public rather than private, even if a private organization operates the school. By law, charter schools are tuition-free.

How do charter schools operate in New Hampshire?

Charter school legislation was first passed in New Hampshire in 1995. Under current law, charter schools are authorized by the New Hampshire Board of Education. The state Department of Education conducts annual "school accountability" reviews of each school.

Local school districts are responsible for disbursing funds for charter schools, but some say districts have not always given charter schools promised money. Lawmakers are considering a proposal that would authorize the state to send aid directly to charter schools rather than through the local school district.

The state Department of Education's website lists seven approved charter schools in New Hampshire (though one, the Franklin Career Charter Academy, is listed as "closed." Hear an NHPR News report on the Academy.)

A number of charter schools are reportedly being developed. Hear an NHPR News report about the proposed Academy for Science and Design charter school.

The DOE says "New Hampshire is testing the charter school waters in a careful and measured way." Critics say New Hampshire charter school law makes it too difficult to open and/or maintain charter schools.

Click here to see NHPR stories and programs on charter schools

What are the arguments for/against charter schools?

Innovation and Choice

Supporters say charter schools provide much-needed innovation and competition to public schools. With students free to apply to charter schools instead of their neighborhood public school, educators will be motivated to provide high-quality programs to entice parents. They say that competing school programs will lead to better public schools as well as better charter schools.

But some critics say public schools should not have to compete for scarce funding and resources, and that the innovation promised by charter school advocates aren't fulfilled in practice. Many opponents say resources are better used in improving the public school system rather than spreading thin resources.

Specialties

Proponents say charter schools can focus on a specific subgroup of students, to meet their individual learning challenges or their particular interests. There are charter schools specifically designed for at-risk students, teenage parents, or students learning English as a second language; supporters say these smaller, "niche" schools can focus their curriculum toward these groups, leading to more personalized and more effective instruction. Charter schools can also focus on particular interests; students interested in music and art, for example, could attend a charter school which not only emphasizes art and music more than a traditional school, but also uses art and music to teach basic subjects like reading or math.

Critics point out that many public school districts already offer "specialty" programs, through magnet or alternative schools as well as special programs within traditional schools. They also contend that with per-pupil money going to charter schools, public school work with smaller budgets, and are less able to provide individualized, specialty programs like art, music or technology.

Administration and Funding

According to charter school supporters, charter school teachers can thrive in ways they could never do in public schools. Teachers can use non-traditional methods that might not be part of a typical school curriculum, and don't have to deal with the "red tape" that eats up time that could be better used in the classroom working with students.

Opponents say charter schools tend to pay teachers less and tend not to be unionized. And because charter schools have higher, more specific levels of accountability, critics say teachers are being asked to do too much with too little, and that this leads to higher turnover and lower job satisfaction.

Research

Perhaps the biggest question relating to charter schools is whether they actually deliver the higher-quality education proponents claim. An August 2004 study released by the Department of Education, which showed charter school students were performing significantly worse than regular public school students in both math and reading. (Listen to a discussion of this research from NPR's Talk of the Nation.) But an analysis prepared for the Charter School Leadership Council in 2005 looked at a number of charter school studies; nearly half showed major performance gains compared to traditional public schools, with many others showing at least some gain. The analysis also cited studies that showed many charter schools improved over time. A Harvard study in 2004 also found that charter school students performed better than students in nearby conventional public schools.

Further research is planned to study how charter schools perform.

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