Research is clear about the factors that make schools successful, which include communities valuing education, families nurturing and supporting their children’s academic endeavors and, of course, school administrators creating positive and productive learning environments. Generally, schools—private and traditional institutions—has the same formula. However, this does not mean that it will always lead to success, as it will also sees unfavorable failures.
Like any other educational institution, charter schools have also been a hot topic in several debates with discussions on whether they are good or bad. To have a say for ourselves, it is wise to look at its pros and cons.
List of Pros of Charter Schools
1. They promote the growth of innovation.
Among the most promising educational experiments in the US are conducted in these schools. As they are not constrained by bureaucracy and union rules, these institutions can adopt reforms, such as longer school weeks, much easier. And because of this, several educational reformers noted that majority of these schools are the best places to facilitate movements that are largely to be accomplished.
2. They allow for competition.
Many people believe that competition will help educators improve the way they teach. Though it is not truly proven to be the reason of improving test scores, competition has made charter schools more conscious when offering customer service and using curriculum and any other decision to affect enrollment. Truth is, public education has less of that attitude where there is lack of interest in whether an individual has something or not.
3. The provide families with more flexible options.
Flexibility is regarded as the most compelling and powerful argument in favor of these schools. As you can see, even excellent public schools do not offer educational options that are fitted for everyone. Keep in mind that a community is not necessarily a good environment for every student, as it could be too big or too small, or too academically ambitious or insufficiently ambitious, which will definitely bring out some problems. However, they consider why parents are seeking alternatives and will find solutions to their needs.
List of Cons of Charter Schools
1. They could establish an uneven playing field.
While some people believe that these schools open their doors to all students, others say that they tend to target their audience. For instance, they would offer lack of transportation that overlooks low-income families or some rigorous curricula that discourage academic slackers.
2. They promote an environment that is less diverse.
Considering that charter schools target their market, they could implement racial and economic segregation. Moreover, their processes will be done by parental choice, which means that families will particularly choose such an environment that would raise concerns among some people.
3. They come with the risk of fiscal inefficiency.
Schools are supported financially based on enrollment, so going charter would mean some loss of finances. Also, policymakers would encourage school consolidation to promote fiscal efficiency and support expansion of charter schools, which would result to the proliferation of more small districts.
With thousands of charter schools operating in the US, more and more issues are being raised in these debates. Based on the pros and cons mentioned above, what is your stand on this matter?
Brandon Miller has a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a seasoned writer who has written over one hundred articles, which have been read by over 500,000 people. If you have any comments or concerns about this blog post, then please contact the Green Garage team here.