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Charter And Magnet Schools

Charter Schools, Magnet Schools and Community Schools
Advantages and Disadvantages

Education systems have evolved greatly since the days of the one room school house. There are nearly 46 million students enrolled in public schools, all with different talents, interests and needs. (Source: National Center for Educational Statistics). Today, students and their families are given more choices than ever to pursue academic excellence in facilities that best suit them as individuals. This paper will describe three different school systems and a few advantages and disadvantages of each.
Charter Schools
Charter schools began emerging in the early 1990’s. (Source: The Center for Educational Reform. 2007). These alternative public schools were created by teachers, community organizations and parents out of frustration for their neighborhood schools’ practices and bureaucracy. Those that were discouraged by low test scores, large class sizes and lack of influence over curriculum content envisioned a more autonomous, cutting edge environment. The intent was to offer an environment that would challenge conventional public school practices by specializing in certain areas of education, such as the arts, music, science or technology, in smaller, more individualized settings.
Since charter schools are indeed public schools, they receive tax dollars, although private funding must be obtained as well. These self-directed and self-governing schools must adhere to basic fundamental curriculum requirements set by the state; however they are free from the many rules and regulations that apply to public schools. This freedom allows teachers an opportunity to design their own programs, creating the best learning environment for their students. Parents also have more of a say in how their children are being educated.
Charter schools operate under the general guidelines that they will be accountable to uphold academic excellence. If they cannot meet the expectations set in...