Charter schools are beginning to slow down their development in many states. This is presently both good and bad.
Many school districts stopped authorizing the development of charter schools. Charter schools claim the slowdown of development comes from financially troubled traditional public schools. Also, charters find it difficult to pay for a facility to operate the school. In addition, founding organizations and educational leaders aren’t as energized as they were several years ago.
Growth rate of charters have slowed because of real estate costs, teacher shortages and politics. Also, student enrollment has slowed. .
The Good of Traditional Public Schools
Many public schools now offer better programs for students because of the development of charter schools. However, a bad rap follows because of charter schools. Parents want the best education for students. Nonetheless, traditional pubic schools play an important role in the preparation of students for their role of world leaders.
Traditional public schools offer many advantages that charters don’t.
• They offer diversity
ª Class size is reasonable and depends on the school’s enrollment.
• Traditional schools are cost effective to parents.
• Also, they are readily available to all students. There is no waiting list.
• There are more resources for academic options as well as extracurricular activities. In addition, many offer STEM courses for all grade levels.
• Traditional schools, by law, provide more services to students. They require transportation services, academic assistance, special education and learning specialists.
• Teachers are highly qualified and are accountable for the learning of all students.
The Good of Charter Schools
There are many people that feel public school do not prepare students for life. They feel there is quality in a charter school especially for a low income student. However, many are equally as good as regular public schools.
In addition, some states show that charter schools are doing better academically than public schools. Others show the opposite. However, more research needs done to prove or disprove the effectiveness of charters.
As the debate of these schools continue, they both appear to work effectively for most all the students within their system. Yet, with the benefits offered in public schools, most parents are choosing to stay in their neighborhood public school.
