Charter school | Benefits, Types & Challenges (2024)

education

verifiedCite

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style

Feedback

Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

printPrint

Please select which sections you would like to print:

verifiedCite

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style

Feedback

Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Written by

Suzanne E. Eckes Professor ofeducational law and policy, Indiana University, Bloomington. Her contributionsto SAGE Publications'Encyclopedia of Education Law (2008) formed the basis of her contributions...

Suzanne E. Eckes

Fact-checked by

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Article History

charter school

See all media

Key People:
Betsy DeVos
Related Topics:
school

See all related content →

charter school, a publicly funded tuition-free school of choice that has greater autonomy than a traditional public school. In exchange for increased autonomy, charter schools are held accountable for improving student achievement and meeting other provisions of their charters. Charter schools are most often new schools that were not in existence before the charter was granted; a traditional public or private school may also convert to charter school status. The term charter school is used almost exclusively to describe government-funded and largely autonomous schools in the United States and in the Canadian province of Alberta.

Origin and operation

In the United States, where charter schools are most prevalent, state laws dictate a range of activities, including school funding, student and staff recruitment, and charter attainment status. Although the details vary by state, some generalizations can be made. For example, charter schools are not typically constrained by traditional public school requirements, such as certain bureaucratic and union rules. In some states such flexibility includes the freedom to hire teachers (including those who lack state certification) on the basis of the schools’ own standards and to adopt specific curricula. Some charter schools may even create their own calendars and set the length of their school days.

The first charter school law was passed in 1991 in Minnesota, and the first charter school was established there in 1992. By 1995 an additional 18 states had passed charter school legislation. The charter school movement then experienced tremendous growth. From the 2003–04 to the 2013–14 school year, the number of charter schools in the United States doubled, growing from 3,000 to 6,000, with the proportion of students enrolled in the schools increasing from 1.6 to 5.1 percent. Charter schools have an open admissions process. When more students apply than can be accommodated, officials typically rely on lotteries to select students randomly.

Because charter schools function as public schools, their operators receive charters from public agencies, usually state or local school boards. Charters are performance contracts that establish each school and contain provisions related to financial plans, curriculum, and governance. The entities that issue charters, usually referred to as sponsors or authorizers, hold the charter school accountable for its performance. Charters are issued for defined limited terms of operation, usually from three to five years. As a result, if charter schools fail to meet the provisions of their charters, the sponsor may take steps to close them down. Indeed, it is generally much easier for sponsors to revoke the charters of charter schools than it is for authorities to close traditional public schools.

Charter schools have varied greatly in terms of student achievement. The range in charter school quality can be explained by the lack of a uniform design among the large number of schools in operation. Nevertheless, the threat of competition from traditional public schools and other charter schools has forced charter school sponsors and organizers to maintain high standards of accountability. However, research on the actual impact of charter school education on student success has remained inconclusive, and thus the value of charter schools is a subject of intense debate.

Rationales and critiques

A primary reason for founding charter schools was to seek an alternative vision of schooling that could not be realized in the traditional public schools. The market metaphor for choice and competition became an essential part of the charter school discussion. Free-market advocates reasoned that charter schools would either stimulate weaker public schools to improve or would drive them out of the education arena through the process of market-based accountability. In so doing, charter schools could encourage systemic change by providing more educational choices, creating competitive market forces.

Charter school | Benefits, Types & Challenges (2)

Are you a student?

Get a special academic rate on Britannica Premium.

Subscribe

Many critics argued, however, that charter schools would damage public school systems by diverting resources. Others claimed that the market-based mentality behind charter schools encourages them to engage in practices that are irrelevant to or unproductive for education. For example, many charter schools attract students by using gimmicks, such as free gift cards, enabling the schools to show progress in enrollment while putting few resources toward genuine learning and the improvement of student performance.

Suzanne E. EckesThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Charter school | Benefits, Types & Challenges (2024)

FAQs

What are the benefits of attending a charter school? ›

Charter schools can provide a more personalized learning experience. Due to their autonomy, they can adapt curriculum and teaching methods to meet students' unique needs.

What are the downsides of charter schools? ›

While public schools serve the local community by accepting all local students who enroll, charter schools are selective and only serve a small segment of students. They also tend to be more racially segregated than traditional public schools and often fail to serve students with special needs.

What are the benefits of charter? ›

In exchange for operational freedom and flexibility, charter schools are subject to higher levels of accountability than traditional public schools. Charter schools offer high-quality education options to communities.

Which of the following is a challenge faced by charter schools? ›

But charter schools say they also face potential legal roadblocks, anti-charter antagonism and financial burdens, including uncertainty over how much funding they'll receive this year under a state budget that left them vulnerable to funding cuts. All of that gives them pause about expanding.

Who benefits most from charter schools? ›

Charter schools guarantee that students get access to modern educational experiences. Students who are looking for other learning substitutes can highly benefit from this system.

Why do parents send their child to charter schools? ›

You'll be happy to know that there are many benefits of sending your child to a charter school. From greater individual attention and accountability to better teachers and increased transparency, these schools can be a great option for many students.

Why do charter schools get a bad reputation? ›

The most common arguments about charter schools are that: Charters steal kids and money from traditional public ISDs. Charters are selective and operate like private schools. Public charter schools don't enroll students from historically underserved families.

What is a criticism of charter schools? ›

Not only do the high rates of teacher turnover any benefits presented by "race-matching," but charters overall increase racial segregation. When compared to public schools, the rate of racial segregation within charters is "extraordinarily high." Finally, charters tend to discriminate against disabled students as well.

What are the pros and cons of teaching at a charter school? ›

Teaching at a Charter School: Pros and Cons

While variety, flexibility and smaller class sizes may sound appealing, they often come with lower pay and longer hours. Charter school teaching jobs tend to be easier to find than positions in public schools, and this is a great option for new teachers.

Why do charter schools perform better? ›

Because charters tend to serve far fewer students with disabilities and fewer who don't speak English as their first language, they can appear to be higher performing. Many charters do not “backfill” when students leave or take older students. Charter schools keep only the students they want.

What are the advantages of the charter? ›

Under section 2of the Charter, Canadians are free to follow the religion of their choice. In addition, they are guaranteed freedom of thought, belief and expression. Since the media are an important means for communicating thoughts and ideas, the Charter protects the right of the press and other media to speak out.

What is the main purpose of a charter? ›

The project charter is a document that officially starts a project or a phase. It formally authorizes the existence of the project and provides a reference source for the future. The charter gives a direction and a sense of purpose to the management from start to end.

What are the disadvantages of a charter school? ›

Limited Accessibility: One common criticism of charter schools is their limited availability compared to traditional public schools. Due to funding limitations and charter caps imposed by local authorities, charter schools may not have enough seats to accommodate all interested students.

Why do teachers unions oppose charter schools? ›

Teachers unions, for their part, have been warning for decades that some charter schools are profit-seeking and fail to serve their students. Teachers unions are also wary of the prospect that students will enroll in non-union charter schools instead of unionized public schools.

Are charter schools detrimental to public education in the United States? ›

Studies have demonstrated that charter schools can worsen existing disparities and draw resources away from public schools. A study by the Network for Public Education found that charter schools cost school districts over $400 million in funding each year, resulting in reduced resources for public schools.

What are the benefits of a class charter? ›

The charter/agreement can help to develop a sense of shared ownership of the classroom and learning. Once developed, it becomes a point of reference for the class and once signed by the teacher, support staff and pupils, it can act as the 'social glue' which binds everyone together.

What are the pros and cons of private school? ›

The pros and cons of private schools
  • Pro: provide better prospects. ...
  • Con: fundamentally unfair. ...
  • Pro: good for the economy. ...
  • Con: expensive. ...
  • Pro: greater range of activities and subjects. ...
  • Con: exacerbate inequality.
Nov 2, 2023

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Corie Satterfield

Last Updated:

Views: 6170

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (62 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Corie Satterfield

Birthday: 1992-08-19

Address: 850 Benjamin Bridge, Dickinsonchester, CO 68572-0542

Phone: +26813599986666

Job: Sales Manager

Hobby: Table tennis, Soapmaking, Flower arranging, amateur radio, Rock climbing, scrapbook, Horseback riding

Introduction: My name is Corie Satterfield, I am a fancy, perfect, spotless, quaint, fantastic, funny, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.