Charter Schools

Education majors often must look at charter schools to understand how they fit into the educational system. If you must write a research paper on charter schools, there are many aspects you may want to look at in relation to how they enhance the educational system in the United States. A few angles you can use to write your paper on charter schools are listed here:

• Are charter schools more effective than public education?
• What unique rules do charter schools have to follow?
• How are charter schools set up?
• How are charter schools funded?
• What is the history of charter schools in the United States?

Charter Schools are an alternative to public education. Charter schools are required to adhere to all of the same rules and regulations of their public school counterparts but with some added flexibility. Each school has a charter that defines expectations. These charters are usually granted for a period of three to five years. Some charter schools develop a curriculum geared towards mathematics, arts, or vocation. Others seek to provide a cost effective alternative to local public schools.

Funding Charter Schools

Charter schools are funded by a combination of public and private funding. They receive less public funding than public schools in their respective areas. Usually public funding is based on the number of children attending the school. Public funds are not used to pay for facilities or maintenance. Charter schools are considered to be a part of public education so they are not allowed to charge students tuition. When a Charter School is at its capacity, spots are awarded by a lottery.

Ray Budde was the creator of the first Charter school in the United States. He called for school reform that would allow people to choose the school their children would attend. Original Charter schools were established to be public schools that functioned like a small business. Minnesota became the fist state to institute a Charter School law in 1991. Since then 41 other states and The District of Columbia have passed their own Charter School laws.

Minority Students and Charter Schools

According to the National Charter School Resource Center many Charter Schools are established in urban areas and seek to help minority students who struggle in regular public education. They seek to provide a unique learning experience not available in local public schools. Charter schools are held accountable for student achievement just like public schools. Some Charter Schools have difficulty meeting the expectations laid out in their charter and are eventually forced to shut down.