{"id":25605,"date":"2024-01-05T19:37:51","date_gmt":"2024-01-05T19:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.successacademies.org\/?post_type=education_blog&p=25605"},"modified":"2025-01-10T14:29:49","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T14:29:49","slug":"what-is-a-charter-school","status":"publish","type":"education_blog","link":"https:\/\/www.successacademies.org\/education-blog\/what-is-a-charter-school\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Charter School?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Key Characteristics of Charter Schools<\/h2>\n

Charter schools operate independently of local school districts. They have greater flexibility than traditional public schools in curriculum, schedule, teacher hiring and development, allocation of resources, and other areas. Like traditional public schools, charter schools are subject to health, safety, and other state and federal regulations. In many states, like New York, charter schools must submit detailed annual reports to their authorizers, including financial audits and budgets, enrollment, attendance, demographic, and facilities. <\/span><\/p>\n

Public charter schools have several unique features that set them apart from traditional public schools.<\/span><\/p>\n

Charter schools often have increased autonomy in decision-making that can include curriculum choice, staffing, and teaching methods. <\/span><\/p>\n

Charter schools may serve their students better because they can innovate and make decisions that best serve children. For example, they may change the school day or school year schedule to increase student learning. These changes include extending operating hours or building more school days into their schedule.<\/span><\/p>\n

That same flexibility extends to specialized curricula or teaching methods. Many charter schools offer specialized STEM, visual and performing arts, sports, or project-based learning programs. <\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, charter schools have a direct incentive to meet performance goals: accountability. As part of their operating charter, these schools agree to meet specific academic and operational performance goals. Failure to meet these goals can result in the revocation of their charter. This pushes charter school operators to innovate and focus intently on achievement and accountability.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Public Charter Schools vs. Traditional Public Schools<\/b><\/h3>\n

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Public charter and traditional public schools aim to provide students with free, high-quality education. However, there are some key differences between the two models:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
 <\/th>\nCharter Schools<\/th>\nTraditional Public Schools<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Flexibility<\/b><\/td>\nCharter Schools
\n<\/span>Charter schools\u2019 autonomy over curriculum, staffing, and instruction methods allow for innovation.<\/td>\n		Traditional Public Schools
\n<\/span>Traditional public schools must follow district policies and union rules. This restricts principals\u2019 staffing decisions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Accountability<\/b><\/td>\nCharter Schools
\n<\/span>Each school\u2019s charter agreement holds them accountable for academic performance. If they fail to meet goals, demonstrate poor operational or financial health, authorizers may revoke their charter.<\/td>\n		Traditional Public Schools
\n<\/span>Traditional public schools do not face the same strict standards. Poorly performing schools may remain open for decades.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Access<\/b><\/td>\nCharter Schools
\n<\/span>Charter schools are open to all students but may have admission lotteries if demand exceeds space.<\/td>\n		Traditional Public Schools
\n<\/span>Public school districts guarantee students a place based on their address, but restrict parents from sending their children to another school outside their zone.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Innovation<\/b><\/td>\nCharter Schools
\n<\/span>Freedom from the local district\u2019s regulation allows charter schools to pilot new educational approaches that may serve students better.<\/td>\n		Traditional Public Schools
\n<\/span>Traditional public schools often don\u2019t have the ability to be flexible in their approaches. Some adopt certain methods from charter schools.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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How Charter Schools Work<\/h2>\n

Charter schools follow a unique process that gives them more autonomy while holding them accountable for their performance. Most charter schools operate according to the following principles:<\/p>\n

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Charter Application and Approval<\/h3>\n

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A group drafts a detailed charter application that outlines their school\u2019s mission and education program. Charter groups may include educators, parents, or non-profits. The charter includes student achievement goals, a governance structure, and financial plans.<\/span><\/p>\n

The group submits this charter to a state-approved entity known as an authorizer. Authorizers might be local school districts, state education departments, independent charter boards, or universities. The authorizer will review the proposal and decide whether to approve it based on criteria that include:<\/span><\/p>\n