What Are Charter Schools?

Charter schools began as a national initiative in the 1990s as a means of “creating something entirely new” instead of “reforming existing schools." The Pennsylvania Department of Education says, “[Charter schools] are created and controlled by parents, teachers, community leaders, and colleges or universities,” and they “operate free from many educational mandates, except for those concerning nondiscrimination, health and safety and accountability.” The two primary purposes and goals of charter schools are 1) to increase innovation and creativity in the school setting in order to provide students a more progressive curriculum and 2) to provide a wide array of school choices for community members and their children. Charter schools operate independently of the public school system; however, they are partially funded by the public schools system.

According to the US Charter Schools website, “The term ‘charter’ may have originated in the 1970s when New England educator Ray Budde suggested that small groups of teachers be given contracts or ‘charters’ by their local school boards to explore new approaches." Minnesota passed the first piece of charter school legislation in 1991, but it was not until 1997 that charter school legislation, known as Act 22, was passed in Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, there are currently 106 charter schools in operation that have been approved by local school boards, and there are 11 cyber charter schools that have been approved by the PA Department of Education; almost 50,000 students are enrolled in an approved charter school. Currently, there are about 3,000 charter schools nationwide with almost 700,000 students enrolled, and this number is growing.

There has been increasing support from the Federal government for the implementation of charter schools. Former President Clinton proposed the creation of 3,000 new charter schools when he gave his State of the Union Address in 1997, and former President George W. Bush provided about $200 million for charter schools in 2002. President Obama has made several mentions about supporting the creation of more charter schools throughout his Presidential campaign.

Charter schools can be established by parents, community members, teachers, businesses, municipalities, or colleges/universities; however, the legal establishment of these schools varies from state to state. In Pennsylvania, individuals or groups wishing to establish a charter school must apply for one with the local school board. For example, Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School was approved and is reviewed by the State College School Board.

Charter schools can be a progressive and an innovative solution to the need for education reform; however, they could be plagued with regressive problems that might actually hinder the growth of public education. I will explore both the positives and negatives of charter schools in the next blog post.