What is the purpose of charter schools?
Charters schools offer parents and students additional choices about where students attend school and the school’s curricular emphasis. They allow educators freedom to try new strategies to inspire students and to experiment with innovative ways of educating students. Also, charter schools allow individuals and organizations outside of the traditional education system to create and run public schools.
Statutory provisions require charter schools to fulfill the following purposes:improve student learning and academic achievement; increase learning opportunities for all students, with special emphasis on low-performing students; encourage the use of innovative learning methods; require the measurement of learning outcomes; and create new professional opportunities for teachers. Additionally, statutory provisions authorize charter schools to fulfill the following purposes: create innovative measurement tools; provide rigorous competition within the public school district in order to stimulate continued improvement in all public schools; and expand the capacity of the public school system.
• Charters are to do what public schools already do-just better. • Charters are to do something different. • Charter schools provide viable alternatives for the “square pegs” in the system. • Charter schools provide a testing ground for new governance models. • Charter schools provide a testing ground for innovative teaching and learning. • Charter schools can provide choice for all parents and students. • Charter schools provide competition to the traditional public school system. • Charter schools provide for increased accountability, both internally and in traditional public schools. • Charter schools provide the mechanisms for organizational changes, allowing opportunity for parents and teachers to teach what they want. • Charter schools provide the impetus for systemic change and reform. What if the public charter school isn’t working? Top | Back to FAQs The State Board of Education may revoke or modify a school’s charter at any time if the public charter school is not meeting the
Statutory provisions require charter schools to fulfill the following purposes: improve student learning and academic achievement, increase learning opportunities for all students and encourage the use of innovative learning methods. Additionally, statutory provisions authorize charter schools to create innovative measurement tools and provide rigorous competition within the public school district in order to stimulate continued improvement in all public schools.
