Charter schools are becoming very popular alternatives among parents across the country. Once thought of as a sure thing, now parents often struggle to get their children enrolled due to the high popularity they’ve generated. It’s easy to see why charter schools have become so popular—they are doing great things for students and offering peace of mind to parents. After just returning from the National Charter Schools Conference in Austin, TX, we thought we’d dedicate this week’s Eduporium Weekly to the emergence, excitement, and future surrounding charter schools.
What are Charter Schools?
First, we’ll provide a little bit of background on charter schools and why they have become so successful for those readers who may not know too much about them. Charter schools are institutions that are separate from the other public schools in a city or town and run by a group of independent leaders rather than state officials. This gives them a lot more flexibility in what they teach, how they teach it, and the tools they use to teach their students. In exchange for this greater freedom, charter schools are expected to hold a higher academic standard. Each charter school is created under a “charter,” which serves as a contract that outlines the school’s mission, the students they are serving, performance goals, and their assessment methods. Every charter school, appropriately, needs on of these.
We mentioned that charter schools are different from traditional public schools and here are some of the ways they differ. Charter schools are commonly referred to as public schools of choice, which basically means that families choose for their children to attend them rather than automatically sending them to an available public school in their town. Since charter schools are responsible for the academic performance they detail in their charters, they are not able to accept every student who applies because they could be forced to close if they do not meet their performance expectations. Aside from that, each charter school is also unique from other charter schools whether that means in their design or in their results. Some charter schools focus on principles while others rely on practice to make sure their performance expectations are met and both ways have proven to be effective.
Some charter school management teams manage just one school while others could manage 50 or 100 in all different parts of the country. The various members of these kinds of teams have different departments, including content development, curriculum, fundraising, diversity, IT, performance management, and data analytics. They also have boards that serve as authority figures who authorize the charter schools to operate, kind of like the state Board of Education. Also, lots of different people can start their own charter school, including parents, community leaders, businessmen and women, teachers, school districts, and municipalities. They just have to apply for a charter, lay out their plan, stick to it, and show they’re able to provide a worthwhile opportunity for each of their students to excel.
The Next Generation of Charter School Impact
Since charter schools are free to conduct learning in the best ways they see fit, they pretty much control the effectiveness of their programs and the rate at which their students learn. As we continue to live in a time in which innovation is critical in education, charter school leaders are among those who are making a big push to bring new methods of teaching into the classroom. With so many trends perforating 21st century education, many leading charter schools are finding that a commitment to personalized and student-centered learning is the best way to go. And, not only is this approach unlocking new and beneficial opportunities for charter school students, these schools are becoming some of the top performing charter schools in the country.
Dating back to when charter schools really started becoming more prevalent, education leaders saw an opportunity. Since charter school leaders could use whatever methods they’d like in their classrooms, state and district education leaders were keeping a close eye on what worked and relaying that information back to public school leaders in hopes of implementing the same strategies in their schools. While charter school leaders probably don’t take this into account when planning their curricula, they still have the freedom to change that curricula as often as they see fit. And, since innovations in education are being updated all the time, some would argue that the most effective charter leaders are those who keep up as best as possible. These strategies even include lengthening the school day or the school year to measure the effect on student development and achievement.
Today, many top charter schools rely on the integration of technology to find success. Technology, of course, helps create active learning opportunities for students and expands the possibilities of their achievement. Combining EdTech with inquiry-based education, teachers in charter schools have found success in teaching their students STEM skills and, of course, keeping up with their school’s performance requirements. Starting classes by posing a compelling problem to students is a common teaching tactic in charter school classrooms. This allows kids to conduct an investigation, collaborate, find out what works and what doesn’t, and, ultimately, craft a solution. This approach can be applied in STEM classes and non-STEM classes and, with the freedom of charter school curricula, educators can use it to really do a lot when it comes to preparing their students for the real world.
Getting Education Leaders and Charter Teachers on the Same Page
Charter schools do not get their funding from the same source as the rest of the public schools in town. Of course, public schools are funded by the state, but charter schools are not funded from the same source, which means they do not take money away from traditional public schools. What charter schools do offer, however, is an alternative option for families who cannot afford to live in certain areas where the best schools are. Charter school leaders live by the tenet that every child deserves a chance at a quality education and the schools they open provide kids with an opportunity they deserve. Rather than holding the notion that charter schools diminish the number of gifted students in public schools, we should view charter and public schools as partners.
Rather than seeing charter schools as competition, public schools can choose to see them as a resource to stop overcrowding. We know that there is commonly overcrowding in public schools and, if parents have the option to send their child to a charter school, this will create smaller class sizes and more attention for the kids in both schools. It also allows for more individualized instruction for all students—though those in charter schools probably benefit more in this department. Some students simply are able to outperform the school system that’s closest to their home and they shouldn’t be held back by inadequate challenges. This is when sending them to a charter school becomes a legitimate option.
Having an alternative education option for parents in the form of charter schools is invaluable for some families. It is in these schools that a child’s love for learning really starts to flourish since they tend to be in an environment they are more comfortable in. They start expressing themselves more and rise to the greater challenges they face. As families across the country continue to struggle buying their way into high-class neighborhoods where the best schools are, charter schools provide the best alternative. We must also realize that charter schools do not receive tons of funding, especially when compared to traditional public schools. Still, though, they are available for those who wish to apply and give their children the chance at a more challenging experience and a shot at a better future.
Producing a Bigger Bang with Fewer Bucks
Evidence from a recent study conducted by the University of Arkansas has suggested that students enrolled in charter schools in major cities are enjoying some pretty nice benefits. Or, maybe more appropriately, their parents are enjoying them. One of the central findings of the study is that these schools are 35 percent more cost-effective than traditional public schools. Another is that they produce a 53 percent higher return-on-investment than residentially assigned schools. More importantly, the schools in the study were found to hold a noticeable productivity advantage over traditional district schools in the same areas. Despite receiving less resources per student in many cases, charter schools often wind up outperforming traditional schools in achievement.
Charter schools also provide a huge return-on-investment for taxpayers in major cities. Consistently, they provide a significantly higher ROI than district schools do. The numbers from Washington DC indicate that for every $1,000 spent on education in the city’s traditional schools, there is about a $4,500 increase in students’ lifetime earnings. At the same time, the same $1,000 investment in charter schools in the city results in an estimated $8,340 increase for students’ lifetime earnings. That’s almost double. Charter schools are doing more with the same amount of funding (or often less) than traditional public schools and this is just one example. It’s also no surprise that this disparity has been noticed by families around the country and, more likely than not, contributed to the rising popularity in charter school attendance.
Frankly, these results shouldn’t be too surprising to too many people. Being able to create their own curricula and steering away from state-mandated requirements has allowed charter school learning to flourish. Charter schools have the incentive to spend money wisely—not just to spend money—since their ability to stay open is directly related to student achievement. Public schools do not have to attract their students because they go to a school near their home, so they can spend more money on fancy buildings and on their administration. Charter schools must spend money on their students, however, if they want to keep their doors open. So, charter leaders have learned how to maximize their dollars based on the current state of education, know how to provide innovative opportunities, and are succeeding in keeping their schools open by spending money in the right ways.
Anticipated Enrollment Only Expected to Grow
By now, you can probably see why charter schools, at least to some parents and educational leaders, are a popular option. That popularity is so high, in fact, that some cities are expecting growth of as much as 25 percent in charter school attendance. To meet this demand, cities are scrambling to open new charter schools to, of course, keep the class sizes small enough in existing ones. With the addition of more charter schools comes more parents trying to get their children enrolled. And, since charter schools can technically go up to any grade (K-3 or K-8, for example), they would only accept about 180 kids if there were one class per grade level (yes, there are usually more). This charter school growth also affects existing charter schools, too as they strive to remain innovative.
For this reason, it’s not uncommon for charter schools in areas where they are popular to make adjustments. These adjustments include adding additional teachers to allow for more classes while keeping the class sizes reasonable. It also includes adding an extra grade or two to an existing charter school so that students can stay enrolled in that school for a longer period of time. Since there is a lot of flexibility in charter schools, these options are possible despite being somewhat unorthodox and tricky. The growth is also due to the success charter school students go on to have. We touched on the monetary value of the benefits students receive from a charter school education in the last section, but they also gain more than that. Thanks to the smaller class sizes, students are also able to more effectively learn the most important soft skills and STEM skills, like collaboration, problem solving, communication, interpersonal, and listening skills during the school year.
As long as there are people who want to open them, charter schools should continue to spring up around the country. The more options parents have for alternative school choices, of course, leads to a better opportunity for their children. While there are many benefits to attending a charter school, some of the most important are the smaller class sizes, the importance to charter school leaders that their students succeed, and the fact that they control their curricula. The last two are most important when it comes to giving kids a future-ready education and parents who think it might be a good idea to consider the charter school route should remember this. Giving students a real-world education is as important now as ever before and charter schools are unlocking new avenues—they just need to keep performing.
For the latest EdTech, STEM, and 21st century education news, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Like us on Facebook, too, or sign up for our newsletter for our latest product announcements and offerings. If you have an idea for an Eduporium Weekly theme, send us a message on social media or comment below.