Twin_Spoons t1_iyba0tv wrote on November 30, 2022 at 2:52 AM

Charter schools operate with public money and have to meet certain requirements, specified in the "charter" they sign with the government. However, they have a lot more freedom in how they operate than traditional public schools. This typically means that they use non-union teachers. They can often have different educational philosophies, with some being more strict (uniforms, lots of homework) and others being less strict (wholistic learning, no grades, etc.)

So the first benefit of charter schools is that they provide an alternative to traditional public schools. If a charter school is unique in a way that you or your child like, then it could be a good fit. The evidence on charter schools being all around "better" than traditional public schools is more mixed. Parents who send their children to public school consistently report being satisfied with their choice, but not all charter schools improve student achievement on things like standardized tests.

kslusherplantman t1_iybgg0o wrote on November 30, 2022 at 3:43 AM

My moms a teacher, and she has gotten a few kids from charter schools.

They are almost always behind the regular curriculum, and they almost always have to be retaught things that other kids don’t need.

Now granted that may just be multiple bias being seen, but from my moms experiences, charter schools here suck educationally compared to public schools

Gotanis55 t1_iybja57 wrote on November 30, 2022 at 4:08 AM

I think that there's a tendency for students who are not succeeding to be moved out of whatever school system they're in to the alternative in hopes of better results.

I 100% believe your mom's experience is true. However, it's the same as my experience as a charter school teacher when we get new students from the public school.

kslusherplantman t1_iybjkbu wrote on November 30, 2022 at 4:10 AM

That’s the bias im talking about, exactly!

triclops41 t1_iybc91w wrote on November 30, 2022 at 3:09 AM

Thank you. This is the only reasonable answer here.

nayshlok t1_iybgzwx wrote on November 30, 2022 at 3:48 AM

Reading through these I realize I lucked out with my charter school. But it was definitely because it fit my learning style better, and a lot of kids I know left the school when they realized it didn't fit theirs. But it was focused on the education from what I could see the staff on all levels really cared.