Charter schools offer many benefits to students, parents, teachers, and communities. At a charter school, decisions about how best to serve students aren't made at a district office; instead, those decisions are made in the school by teachers and administrators who know the student population they serve.
More Innovation
As charter schools are free to determine all aspects of their school program and are not tied to district frameworks, they often serve as incubators of innovation. Charter schools can adopt progressive curriculum standards and techniques in order to better engage their students. They can embrace a new type of learning technology or a revolutionary way of teaching a subject. As a result, charter schools have pioneered practices now widely used today. The decision to lengthen the school day and year, to evaluate teacher effectiveness by examining student performance over time, and to reward teachers through referring to this performance, all first appeared in charter schools. This “best practice sharing” has enriched students and public school districts alike.
More Specialization
Charter schools can tailor their lessons and educational plans to their student’s needs. Curricula can be designed and adapted specifically for the students in the building. In order to execute this implementation effectively, the school must rely heavily on its educators. Teachers are empowered to design their own material. Provided with as much creative control as possible, teachers are better able to educate students with varying levels of ability, a process known as differentiated learning.
More Family and Community Engagement
Charter schools’ ability to innovate extends to their efforts beyond the classroom, and to their entire school community. Similar to what they do for their students, charter schools have proven to be committed to engaging parents and community members, often trying innovative strategies in order to succeed. They can provide “wrap around” services to families, utilize technology to understand each parent’s skill set, and include parents in the schools decision making processes by including them in focus groups and on the school’s board. In Illinois, 80% of public charter schools include parents, teachers, and community leaders on their board of directors. Furthermore, before a school even opens its doors, Illinois charters are required by law to “demonstrate a high level of local pupil, parental, community, business, and school personnel support” from the neighborhood where the new school is planned. These members can have a vital role in shaping the goals of the school from its inception and can continue to do so as the school serves its students. In addition, once the school is open, charter schools can engage their community by investing in their school buildings, spurring new jobs, and creating unique partnerships with local businesses.
More Choice
In additionto the advantages that they provide to students, charter schools provide an important benefit to school systems. Beyond spurring best practice sharing through embracing innovation, a charter school introduces choice into the school system. With school openings comes variety, as parents are given multiple options on where to send their children. The freedom to choose where to enroll creates competition. As a result, neighborhood schools are forced to provide a quality education for our children or risk parents and families electing to educate their children elsewhere. Thus, schools are inspired to improve their performance by trying innovative strategies and eliminating failing practices. Through their role as reformers, charter schools inspire traditional schools to reform as well.
More Accountability
According to Illinois State Law, charter schools are held to the same legal and academic standards as traditional schools. Additionally, charter schools are also held to unique financial and mission constraints: “Under Illinois Charter Law, a charter may be revoked or not renewed by its authorizer in cases where the charter school failed to comply with any of the requirements of Article 27A, or in the following specifically enumerated circ*mstances: (1) the charter committed a material violation of its charter agreement; (2) the charter failed to meet or make reasonable progress toward achievement of the goals and objectives set forth in its charter; (3) the charter failed to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management; and/or (4) the charter violated any other provision of law from which it was not exempted. A charter school may also terminate operations by mutual agreement with the authorizer.”(2009-2010 and 2010-2011 Illinois Charter School Biennial Report).
In addition to these increased standards, a charter contract in Illinois must be renewed at maximum every five years. Thus, charter schools have constant motivation to improve or they risk their charter being revoked, and closing their doors. Stringent standards and frequent requirements to be renewed combine to make public charter schools more, not less, accountable than their traditional public school counterparts.
