charter schools

[lhafer]

I know they all vary by state. Just wondering who here has experience with charter schools. My DD1 is in 2nd grade in public school and is struggling. I'm trying to look at alternatives (besides homeschooling, which won't work for us).

[KpbS]

Our charters here pretty closely resemble public schools. However they tend to have stricter classrooms, longer school days, and sometimes a specific focus like a magnet school such as technology. In which ways is she struggling?

[egoldber]

We have very few charters in my state because the laws here make is pretty difficult. However in my work, I deal with data from charter schools a good deal. In general, I must admit I am leery of charters. While I know there are some great ones, in general charters will have less support personnel and fewer resources than a more traditional public. They tend to rely much more heavily on parental support and involvement. Also, in some states many are run as for profit enterprises which has a while different set of issues.

Whether or not a charter is a good fit depends on the specific school, your child, and what the issues are.

ETA: Here is an article I found in a quick Google search that highlights many of the issues with charter schools:

http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/charter-schools/

[crayonblue]

The charters here in SoCal tend to have great reputations with high scores and lots of extracurriculars. We looked into quite a few before going the private school route this year. We backed away from our top charter choice based on the "me against them" mentality. We saw a pep rally where the superintendent showed the kids the local public schools API scores and then all the kids chanted that they could beat those scores. I just found it nauseating. :(

[Mikey0709]

I could have written your original post. My son is now in 3rd and has been struggling since 1st, when i started to look into a local charter school. He is one of the youngest in his class in a large public school. He is behind in Reading & writing, having some behavorior issues and problems fitting in (bullying). Honestly i liked the mission statement of the charter school and heard very good reviews of ours. I especially liked their liberal arts curriculum and small class size - - which i think will help him thrive. They do have a longer day and longer year, and expect more parent involvement which i don't have a problem with.

Now the downfall - - we have been on a waiting list for 3 years now. My 2nd child just started K and he is also now on the waiting list. Acceptance is determined on a lottery - and we haven't been lucky enough for a spot yet.

I plan on submitting an application and staying on the list every year - - figuring all we can do is try. I don't believe the school we are at now is the best fit/choice for our family, and even if i can't tell about the charter until we are enrolled, i'm willing to give it a try. We can always go back to public.

[mom2binsd]

One issue with charter schools, they tend not to want to have to deal with extra expenses like special education and learning difficulties and don't always have the on site specialists that public schools need. I have also heard that they are quick to send kids with learning difficulties back to their public school (much like a private school does with kids who fall behind and/or don't meet their standards). I know this because I worked as an SLP in public schools with kids who had been literally "kicked out" of their private and charter schools.

[squimp]

It depends so much. We have a really great charter school here in town - it is environment and sustainability themed. It is small - one class per grade, and class sizes are pretty small. It is successful because there is a ton of parent involvement. I would consider it, if it were not a 30 minute drive. Our current excellent public school is 8 minutes away.

[geochick]

I taught in a Charter School last year. You definitely can't make too many blanket statements about Charters since they're all so different. In our state Charter schools get a lot less per-student-funding than traditional public schools, but they get to spend the money on the areas they choose to focus on, and not what the district mandates. In my school they focused on spending their money on Specialist teachers for Lower School (Art, Music, PE, Science, ...). The school really struggled financially, but had great leadership. Parents were often contacted to help subsidize programs, but that wasn't always successful. Some schools don't have great leadership, and have high teacher turn-around.

As far as teachers for Special Needs - our state requires each school, public or charter, to offer services for special education kids (reading, paraprofessionals, ...). I think our Spec Ed department was the biggest department in the school. I think many Charter schools around here really attract Spec Ed kids because there are services, classes are small, and those kids don't get "lost" like they might in a really large school.

Our Charter also attracted very, very bright kids who weren't being challenged in their traditional public schools. It was hard to teach at my school because we had so many VERY high kids, and so many VERY low kids in the same class. BUT, again, leadership is important. Always talk to other parents and teachers, when possible, before choosing a Charter for your kids. You can get a great feel for a school by spending time there.

All Charter schools are very different. You really have to get to know them before making any decisions. Good luck.

[SnuggleBuggles]

This is our 6th year at one. Their special education and support is very good. My problem has been turn over. They only do one year contracts and have lost good teachers. They seem to be holding onto some longer now and offering longer contracts- thank goodness. The school is 6 years old and they are on a good trajectory. Middle school is a bit challenging wrt extras. Unlike the public jr high schools, there are no sports teams or arts performances. The charter focuses so much on academics that the other stuff gets very low priority. This has been an issue for some families.

[BunnyBee]

Why is she struggling? Charter schools have the same basic setup as public schools. The difference is in who manages them (private management of public funds). If she needs intervention services, there *may* be less practical access in a charter school than a public school because the public school has the pooled resources of the county. It totally varies by school, the teacher, and of course the child.

Or did you mean a cyber charter school? Most of those are run by K-12, a for-profit corporation that receives public funds for its services when used by a charter umbrella.

[lhafer]

She struggles with reading and writing. She struggles with homework on a daily basis. The school doesn't seem to think she's "bad enough" to warrant special accommodations, so she doesn't get any. I haven't pushed for any because m bit sure what she really needs. I have her in tutoring 3 days a week at the tune if $400 a month....and because of that she was able to pass first grade becaus eagle got to the base reading level required.

She's great at the creative stuff and arts. She struggles with the reading and writing. I think she would exCel more in those areas if she were in an environment that really helped foster her creativity. She's a hands on learner, and gets nothing out of doing worksheets.

[egoldber]

You need to request an assessment for learning disabilities in writing from your school. By law, they have to respond to that request within 30 days.

It will likely be much faster for you to get a private evaluation.

[lhafer]

You need to request an assessment for learning disabilities in writing from your school. By law, they have to respond to that request within 30 days.

It will likely be much faster for you to get a private evaluation.

She's diagnoses with ADHD, and just shy of an Asperger's diagnosis. I think she may have dyslexia, but the school won't do any testing for dyslexia, nor will the accept any dyslexia diagnosis until the 3rd grade (so next year). She has sensory issues, fidgets constantly, talks constantly, etc. I have a meeting with her teacher and school counselor on Wednesday to discuss her progress, and next steps.

[schrocat]

The only charter school I know about in the Houston area is very academically rigorous and may not be what you're looking for. My neighbour's kids go there which is how I heard about it in the first place and I met a mom at gymnastics whose daughters go there too. It's one of the Harmony schools. I'm not sure how they would accommodate a child with special needs. Would you consider private school? That might work better.