How are charter schools formed?
Charter schools are formed by anyone really. It could be teachers, it could be parents, a collaboration between teachers and parents, or in some cases by non-profits or community based organizations who really have an idea to do something different for communities. They are asked to write a charter or a contract that has very delineated items such as what the curriculum will be, where the school will be housed, who it will attempt to serve, and what the measurable people outcomes will be. That is, what are the students going to achieve once they go through this program, and the health and welfare of the employees. Other items like that are contained in this contract or in this charter. Those are then presented to a governing body, in some cases a school district, in other cases a university, and in other cases the mayor's office that oversees and approves charters. This governing body determines whether or not the charter will be approved. Once the charter is approved, that group, that individual, that community-based organization, goes off and opens doors and starts to enrol students.
