Can charter schools provide quality education?
Charter schools, unlike traditional public schools, are academically accountable on two counts. First, they must declare from the outset what their academic goals will be. In order for their charter to be granted, the charter granting body must determine that these goals are sound and can be objectively assessed. In order for the charter to be renewed, they must meet or exceed those goals. Public schools, by contrast, are generally opened or closed based on the demographic developments of the community, without regard for academic delivery. Secondly, charter schools are a choice: families must elect to enroll their children, and can remove them at their own discretion as well. In most traditional public schools, a parent who feels the school is not properly educating his or her child, and has not been responsive to such concerns, has little recourse except to continue to appeal to the school and district to change. The district school feels little or no impact on its operation whether
