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Institute for School Excellence
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What is a charter school?
A charter school is an independently run and
federally funded public school granted greater
flexibility in its operations, in return for greater
accountability for performance. The "charter"
establishing each school is a performance contract
detailing the school's mission, program, students
served, performance goals, and methods of
assessment.
What is the difference between charter schools and
other public schools?
Charter schools are public schools of choice,
meaning that families choose them for their
children. They operate with freedom from some of the
regulations that are imposed upon district schools.
Charter schools are accountable for academic results
and for upholding the promises made in their
charters. They must demonstrate performance in the
areas of academic achievement, financial management,
and organizational stability. If a charter school
does not meet performance goals, it may be closed.
Are charter schools all the same?
No. Charter schools can vary a great deal in their
design and in their results. ISE
creates schools based on the principles and
practices that have proven successful in producing
significant academic gains at high-performing urban
charter public schools across the country.
Who authorizes charter schools?
This varies from state to state, depending on the
state's charter law. Typically A state, city,
college or district can authorize charter schools.
Who can start a charter school?
Parents, community leaders, social entrepreneurs,
businesses, teachers, school districts, and
municipalities can submit a charter school proposal
to their state's charter authorizing entity.
Who attends charter schools? Whom do they serve?
Nationwide, students in charter schools have similar
demographic characteristics to students in the local
public schools. In some states, charter schools
serve significantly higher percentages of minority
or low-income students than the traditional public
schools. Charter schools accept students by random,
public lottery.
How are charter schools funded?
As public schools, charter schools are tuition-free.
They are funded according to enrollment levels and
receive public funds on a per pupil basis. In some
states, such as Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota, and New
Jersey, they receive less than 100% of the funds
allocated to their traditional counterparts for
school operations. In other states, such as
California, additional funds or loans are made
available to them. In most states, charters do not
receive capital funds to support facility expenses.
Charter schools are entitled to federal categorical
funding for which their students are eligible, such
as Title I and Special Education monies. Federal
legislation provides grants to help charters to
manage start-up costs.
What is a charter management organization?
Charter management organizations (CMOs), generally
speaking, are organizations that contract with an
individual school or schools to deliver management
services. These services typically include
curriculum development, assessment design,
professional development, systems implementation,
back-office services, teacher recruitment, and
facility services. ISE is a nonprofit CMO that
contracts with individual charter school boards of
trustees.
Do teachers need to be certified to work at a
charter school?
Certification requirements vary on a state-by-state
basis. Most states do not require that 100% of
teachers be certified at each charter school, the
rules under the "No Child Left Behind" Law mean that
teachers need to get their licenses with reasonable
speed.
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