What is a Charter School?
Charter Schools are public schools operated by an entity other than the public school system but under the supervision of the public school system. Charter Schools usually specialize in a particular area of expertise; ours is an inclusion model educating children with special needs. Tuition is free for eligible children. How does my child qualify for “free tuition” as mentioned in UCP of Central Florida promotional materials? Any child with an active IEP (Individual Education Plan) or IFSP (Individual Family Support Plan) that includes classroom services would qualify for “free tuition.” Services that are authorized through one of these two documents would be funded through the county school system. What is the ratio of students with special needs to “typical” students? Overall, each center typically maintains 25% “inclusion” enrollment, which means children without special needs. Of course, this can vary from center to center or even between classrooms depending on the need for enroll
A charter school is an independently run public school granted greater flexibility in its operations, in return for greater accountability for performance. The “charter” establishing each school is a performance contract detailing the school’s mission, program, students served, performance goals, and methods of assessment.
Charter Schools are public schools. They are funded by tax dollars from the PA Department of Education to the chartering district. Green Woods Charter School is chartered by the School District of Philadelphia. Charter Schools are mandated to be “innovative” in their approach to teaching and learning while also accountable to the local, state, and federal governments. Green Woods is held accountable to the District and the State to ensure that students are being taught a standards-based curriculum by qualified teachers. Charter schools are self-managed, public schools but must function within the guidelines of Charter School Law established by the State of Pennsylvania. This law establishes that the Board of Trustees is the governing body of a charter school and is responsible for the fiscal management, oversight, and governance of all school operations and administrative personnel.
The District of Columbia’s public charter schools are independently operated, non-sectarian public schools open to all DC residents, regardless of their neighborhood, socioeconomic status, academic achievement, or ethnicity. There are no admission tests or tuition fees. Parents and students choose to attend a particular charter school because of its unique focus, curriculum, structure, size, environment or other features that meet the needs of those families. Enrollment is on a space-available basis. When a charter school has reached its maximum enrollment, a waiting list is developed, and a lottery system is used as spaces become available. Public charter schools receive public funds based on the number of students they enroll, as do all District of Columbia public schools. The idea behind public charter schools is that parents, given a variety of public schools to choose from, will pick the schools they think best meet the academic needs of their children. This will create competitio
