How Charter Schools Work
Are any laws or regulations waived for charter schools?
Charter schools by design are exempt from all laws that apply to traditional public schools, with the exception of federal laws that have to do with discrimination. So, all students must be able to attend. Also any state laws or specific state laws that the legislature has made must apply to charter schools. For example, all charter schools must test students enrolled in the school through the state standardized test system that the state has adopted. Additionally, all charter schools must hire highly qualified teachers as mandated by the national "No Child Left Behind Act," as well as all charter schools must abide by local regulations with respect to the facilities in which they operate. So the schools must be safe, and they must have permits from the local building and safety departments for example. So, overall yes, charter schools are exempt and each State Department of Education will have a list of those laws for each school to look at, and for each founder, or potential founder of a charter school to know in order to be able to start a school.
Can a charter school be shut down?
Yes, charter schools can be shut down. The law specifically states that any school that is not adhering to the charter or the contract can be shut down. Any charter school that has misused public monies can be shut down. Any charter school that is potentially dangerous to the health and welfare and safety of the students can be shut down. In fact, in many states charter schools have been shut down. Charter schools can be shut down for not achieving with the students that they're serving. We in the charter movement, who are proponents of charter schools, believe that they should be shut down. The charter schools are experiments, they're supposed to be about being able to see what is the best practices. If the practices aren't good, then they should be shut down.
Who is qualified to teach at a charter school?
All teachers in charter schools must be have credentials by the commission at the state level, just like traditional public schools. And that really is a federal mandate that comes from the 'No Child Left Behind', law which basically stipulates that all teachers must be highly qualified.
Who can administer a charter school?
Charter school administrators can be anybody really. I've seen charter schools that have a collective of parents who are the administrator's of charter schools. In the schools that belong to the partnership to Uplift Communities Network, for example, we develop teachers who become principals, and they then become the instructional leaders of schools. In other cases, there are business people who have started charter schools, and who end up becoming the heads of the schools. That's my own background. I was actually in business prior to going into education, and so my background in starting the school and as head of the school I was primarily from a business standpoint. Unlike teachers, who have to be credentialed, administrators in charter schools have not. You definitely see many different types of people who start charter schools.
Do charter schools require uniforms?
No, all charter school systems are not required to wear uniforms. However, some schools have adopted uniforms as a way of really keeping the focus on the instruction, meaning that the kids are not preoccupied with what they're going to wear every morning or thinking about their neighbor who's got a nicer sweater or whatever it is. But not all charter schools adopt uniforms. It's a misconception that all charter schools have to adopt uniforms. It's also a misconception that schools that have uniforms are private schools, because many charter schools do adopt uniforms.
How long are the classes at a charter school?
Students enrolled in charter schools must adhere to annual instructional minutes that can be divided up into as many hours in a day as the school decides. In most cases, charter schools, because they understand the population that they're working with, the hours in the day are much longer than what they would be in a traditional public school. in some schools, for example, students go to school 190 days a school year, plus Saturdays, whereas a traditional school might only have 176 days. Charter schools are required to adhere to annual instructional minutes rather than daily instructional minutes.
Do charter schools serve students with special needs?
Charter schools are public schools and therefore they must serve all types of students, that includes students with special needs. Every charter school is mandated by law to serve students who have what's called an individualized education plan or IEP; those are special education students. They're also mandated by law to serve gifted students, students who have also special needs in terms of their cognitive abilities, so they need much more resources, much more stimulation for example in terms of academic programs, in terms of experiences and so forth. Because they are public schools, they must serve all students, no matter what their needs are.
Why is parental involvement important at charters?
First of all, parent involvement is important in all schools. There are many studies that say the more parents are involved, the higher students achieve. What happens is that because charter schools are smaller, parents tend to be more involved. The administration knows the parents, the administration welcomes the parents into the the classroom, and into the schools. Because the schools are small, people tend to know each other. Teachers know parents and welcome them in. By and large, charter schools are very good about engaging parents. There's also another thing, and that is that parents choose to attend charter schools, so already you have a hook, you already have a way to bring the parents in, whereas in a traditional public school choice is limited, and therefore parents sometimes disengage from schools. As a result, charter schools are able to keep parents involved longer, they're able to engage them more, and according to studies that's one of the reasons charter schools may be achieving at higher levels than some of the traditional schools.
How do parents participate in their kids' charter education?
Some charter schools require parents to sign a contract of what they're expectations are of the parent in terms of their involvement in the charter school. So at Partnerships To Uplift Communities, we have our parents sign a contract that basically states that they will have their children at school on time, that they will in some cases volunteer in the classroom at least once a year. In other cases, that they will sit and shadow their student for a day so that they can see what it's like to live the life of their child for that day. In other cases, we ask them to come and volunteer at fundraisers, or at student dances, or at different events that we might have. We cannot mandate our parents to do that, that is that there is no law regulation that says if you don't do this we can ask you to leave, that would be unfair, that would be unjust. But because we're a small community, the act that we have a contract, the act that we say "Please sign this" and then sit with them and explain it to them, really helps us to then engage them in wanting to do it. Many charter schools do that. Many charter schools sit with parents and say "This is what we expect of you." At the same time they also turn around and say "This is what you can expect from us and hold us accountable to these things". It's a mutual accountability piece that most traditional public schools don't have.
