What are Charter Schools?
![Picture](/uploads/6/3/5/6/63563495/268164691.jpg)
Are Charter schools better than public schools? Is "Charter" a fancier name for public schools? Aren't both schools funded by the government or their jurisdiction? What's so significant about Charter schools? How did they populate so swiftly? These are common questions that are asked to understand the aspects of Charter schools especially since they are new. Per Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Charter is defined as a written instrument that creates and defines the franchise of a city, educational institution, or corporation. Charter schools are a publicly funded school, privately managed and semi-autonomous schools of choice. They must hold to the same academic accountability measures as traditional schools. They receive public funding similarly to public schools. However, they have more freedom over their budget, staffing and curricula. In exchange for this freedom, they must deliver academic results and there must be enough community demand for them to remain open. The first law for charter schools was passed in 1991 in Minnesota. Charter schools have made great approach since they have only been operating for the past 25 years. Just like other counterparts of schools, it has had its downfall with many schools closing because of their unpromising results. Nonetheless, charter schools are public schools. Charters are free to attend but students are accepted through an application process unlike a traditional school. Charter schools focus primarily on academics. Essentially, charter schools are to provide a learning environment that will improve a student's achievement overall.
Charter schools increasing in Detroit
Charter schools came by a storm to Detroit since their very first charter school came into operation in the early 1990s. Charter schools are producing great outcomes so far in Detroit. As of now, there are 214 charter schools active in Detroit and surrounding areas. Students' performing skills in charter schools are rising. There 53% of students enrolled in Charter schools in Detroit. Detroit has the second-highest percentage of students in Charter schools in the United States (behind New Orleans who has the largest amount of students in charter school after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the public school system there) Many students have come from other public schools or those who has low test scores are beginning to excel. The increase of charter schools is continuously growing and the enrollment rates are increasing, too. On the account of charter schools accessing more freedom with the planning of their budget such as how resources will be provided and distributed and teachers are creating their own curriculum that will best suit their students academically which will contribute to more growth. Parents are optimistic about the advantages of charter schools and believe this will be the rise of their falling education system. The picture below shows the rate of charter schools increasing while public schools are still decreasing
For the very first time in many years, students are beginning to thrive in their education There's hope for them. There are administrators and teachers that are finally caring about students' needs which traditional public school students have been lacking for the past 2-3 decades. With plenty of accusations about DPS lacking the resources or the proper assistance to overcome their adversary because the population is fully African-American and other minorities that reside there, this could be their "big break' that this low-income city has been awaiting....
But is this their big break they have been awaiting?
Although Charter schools are producing great effects such as students graduating from high schools. We must tackle a deeper issue. Many charter schools are operated by the government just as traditional public and receive funding from the city as mentioned above yet there's another drastic difference. Many administrators employed in charter schools or people who have helped in the development of charter schools in Detroit are not properly certified or well qualified as traditional public schools. Charter schools can be formed by people in a community with the support of the community and state funding. Many qualifications that are required in a traditional public school are overlooked in charter schools. In an interview (which is below) of a current administrators, Sharon McPhail of a Charter school named Detroit Community Schools, conducted by ABC7 Investigation in Detroit, in the interview you will observe her giving a tour of her school and will see accomplishments that the school has made. As, she's celebrating the school’s accomplishments, she's than asked a question by ABC 7 investigation anchor about 84 students graduating but didn’t pass the ACT/SAT test. What’s astounding about her response is she asked the anchor to define what passing meant and that it depends on how a person perceives "passing.". That’s more nuisance to hear than anything. Now, it's very aware that many students don’t do well on ACT/SAT test because of many factors but not to have at least a few students pass is shameful. It's monumental that students are graduating high school but the purpose of high school is to prepare students for college and life after. If students aren’t properly educated and the state continuously fund charters with low regards than where exactly is the accountability?
In addition, to her poor conceived response, she has other uncertified personnel working for her. It is seen in the video that many of those same administrators employed in that school have been a part of legal battles. A former judge who was removed from the bench for committing unlawful decisions is employed in the Charter school which baffling. How can someone who had such power over people' fate such as judge be removed from the bench for committing illegal acts be appointed as the Dean of students and help them with proper guidance? If her and the others in the video committed unlawful decisions in the education system or was a part of corruption scandals of the city, how can they steer the students correctly? Moreover, the salaries of the administrators compensation are extremely immensely, According, to www.payscale.com, an average secondary administrator makes between $38,605-103,930 yearly. They are exceedingly receiving more than an average administrator. Furthermore, it was mentioned many charter schools are funded by local community colleges. Community colleges receive about 3%-5% of profit from charter schools. Although, it's great that community colleges are helping with the funding of charter schools, local community colleges should have been helped Detroit Public School before the upward spiral of charter schools. Collectively, it may have been less expensive to support an individual school system with other local community colleges supporting as well. Per Detroit Free Press, Michigan spends $1 billion dollars on charters schools. If, we can recall, Detroit Public Schools are in insufficiency of debt that continues to increase. It would be helpful to apply half of the $1 billion given to charter schools to Detroit Public schools. It’s understandable Michigan must provide funds to other public districts but it will be incredibly helpful to assist in a sinking district. Simultaneously, Detroit still has more charter schools being built and coming forth which will accumulate more expenses that will be needed. Detroit continues to suffer at the hands of leadership yet again As discussed, in Students are Suffering, these children experience unbearable conditions. These top officials don’t deserve to reign and make such powerful decision but somehow, they continue to allow their presence be felt. Reiteratively, they are pleasing themselves. They want to be in power. They are fighting on their behalf to make sure their image isn’t sabotaged and diminished. It's truly devastating to watch people love money more than humanity.
Lou Glazer wrote a post entitled Unlimited charters; not smart, where he explains Excellent Schools Detroit (ESD) ranks schools on student achievement. It includes students in Detroit and surrounded areas. After, they retrieve the information from school, ESD will host a shopping fair for parents to choose which school suits their child. For elementary and middle schools to be invited to the fair, their students must be 75% proficient on both the MEAP reading and math test. For the high schools, they must score 16.5 on the ACT test. Unfortunately, there are fifty-nine elementary charters and only eight schools were invited. Five out of the forty-eight middle schools were invited and three out of twenty-two high schools were invited. Not even, 50% of these schools were invited to the fair yet more traditional Detroit Public Schools were invited and they have a history intolerable performance. Lou wrote this post on September 23,2011, five years ago, and five years later the "schools show a continuation of low school performance" he states. In his most recent post he explains charter schools are still on the brink of low performance. As, you view the chart Detroit High School Students Are Not Prepared it provides a visual of the low performance in charter schools which correlates with Lou Glazer's post. As a self-destructive school system as the Detroit Public Schools (DPS), Charter Schools should be surpassing them in school performance. Since, charter school’s personnel can appoint people who they believe will make a difference and help raise test scores and school performance, they are struggling to overcome DPS. DPS is known as the worse school district in the country, so to overcome should be very easy. Evidently, they are below DPS performance which is truly devastating. Those employed in charter schools are specifically hand-picked by the community and unlike traditional public schools’ officials who are appointed to these positions.
Lottery Ticket or Education Purposes
Hopeful in charter schools. Charter schools are free for students to attend just as traditional public school. For, charter schools a parent must fill out an application on the behalf of their child and chosen selectively because of limited seating. But, in Detroit it’s a game of “hook and bait” with students. With the uproar of charter schools and traditional schools there about 30,000 seats that are vacant that must be filled. Headcount determines how much funding schools will receive from the state especially in certain months as February and October. So, less students less funding will be provided. Dawn Wilson a parent of DPS students, shared that her daughter was recruited for a charter that promised college seminars an dual enrollment at local colleges and awarded her for enrolling with a raffle ticket for a $50 gift card. Also, schools would buy radio ads and billboards and sponsor pizza days to linger students into attending their school. They will even place lawn signs along city streets and efforts to attract students. It’s as if their running a political campaign to see who can attract the most students and receive more funding than the other. It resembles the recent election with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton where the nation was split between the two and was told to pick between the lesser of two evils. These schools in Detroit with both traditional schools and charters schools could metaphorically represent the 2016 election. It has caused confusion, creating division between two schools and making them be against each other. The same characteristics could be seen between the two president candidates. Neither candidates seemed well suited for our nation, one of the candidates was hated for being the person that they are and for their irrational comments. The other candidate was dislike because of past mistakes and emails that were leaked but both seem to be against minorities altogether. As, the electoral college (state) cast their votes and can choose who will be the President Elect (the most effective education route) of the United States (Detroit). Even though people (parents and community) didn’t agree but must face it and make the best out of the next 4 years. This how the education system can be viewed in Detroit. Neither candidates (traditional schools and public schools) are great options for Detroit students because of past of failures or people with minimal to none experience overseeing schools. With enrollment decreasing and school district in unmeasurable debt somehow new schools are being built. Along with charter schools absolutely showing no increase in the betterment of students. Yet, chosen by state officials, charter schools should continue be formed and superior over traditional schools. Charter schools linger students in as a President candidate does his/her voters with changes he/her will make or proposing different laws but actuality doesn’t have their voters or supporters best interest. it’s all for power and money which we have seen countless of times within Detroit Public Schools officials. Greed has played one of the main factors in the downhill of DPS which it is truly tyrannizing. When will the students matter