Parents who enroll their children in charter schools usually have high expectations. They believe the charters have more to offer than traditional schools, and will help their children become higher achievers. A substantial majority of the time, those parents are wrong.
According to a recent study by Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO), the children in about 17% of charter schools do better than children in traditional local schools, while the children enrolled in 37% of the charters actually do worse. In the remaining schools, there is no measurable difference.
Some political leaders say that charter schools are the magic bullet that will miraculously transform public education. Professional educators, though, understand that there are no magic bullets. Parents who face the charter school choice should evaluate their options very carefully. Here are some factors to consider.
Charter Schools are Experimental
The word "innovative" sounds very positive, but it usually refers to something that never was tried before. Some new ideas work out very well, but some are total disasters. The idea is to keep the ones that work, and discard the ones that fail. How many parents want their children to be test subjects in what may turn out to be a failed experiment?
It follows that a charter school that has been operating for several years is a safer bet than a brand new one, but parents still must be careful. According to the CREDO study, a major problem with the charters is the failure of chartering agencies to close down schools that don't succeed. Parents should check all the data available on educational outcomes before making a choice.
Charter School Success is Hard to Replicate
Sometimes schools are started based on successful models tried elsewhere, but the new schools do not perform nearly as well as the models. Often the basis for success is not a program of study or a school philosophy, but a charismatic administrator or a particularly talented staff. Parents should remain wary of newly chartered schools, even if they are based on a "proven" model.
The Importance of Good Teaching
In many charter schools, union work rules are suspended so that teachers may work longer hours and longer school years. As a result, the teachers at charter schools tend to be young, since family responsibilities and other factors make charter schools less attractive to mature teachers.
New teachers often show great enthusiasm and effort, but they do better when experienced teachers are available to help and guide them. Look for a good mix of youth and experience when choosing a school, and be sure to find out if the school requires teacher certification.
Making the Charter School Choice
Clearly, if parents knows the local school their children will attend is inadequate, and if private school is not an option, it makes sense to consider even an unproven charter school as an alternative. According to the CREDO study, charter schools are most likely to be an improvement over traditional schools in poor neighborhoods, where existing schools often are substandard.
Even if the charter school performs no better than the traditional school, it may be a better choice for an individual child. Perhaps its "theme" has special appeal, or perhaps some good friends will be attending. A longer school day or school year helps some parents deal with problems of child care. Not all decisions can be based on statistical evaluations.
Everybody hopes the charter school movement will help improve the public schools of the future, but the parents of today's children want the best that is available now. Choose carefully!
