I decided to do my essay on charter schools because of an article I read on charter schools located in Mississippi. I am from that state, and in August 2005 I will retire from the military and I plan to teach school in that state. I wasn't surprised to find the Mississippi has the nation's weakest charter school laws. It is also ranked number 38 and it has failed for the 5th straight year in CER's stat by state ranking of charter school laws because it simply offers no real charter environment at all. The first time I heard of charter schools was when I started this program at Troy State and I wanted find out more information about these schools and why some are working and others aren't. My current trend assignment will be Charter Schools. .
What are Charter Schools?.
Charter schools are independent public schools, designed and operated by educators, parents, community leaders, educational entrepreneurs and others. They are sponsored by designated local or state educational organizations who monitor their quality and integrity, but allow them to operate freed from the traditional bureaucratic and regulatory red tape that hog ties public schools. Freed from such micromanagement, charter schools design and deliver programs tailored to educational excellence and community needs. Because they are schools of choice, they are held to the highest level of accountability.
The key appeal of the charter school concept is its promise of increased accountability for student achievement in exchange for increased school autonomy. Freed from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools, charter schools set their own achievement and performance goals, for which they are held accountable by their sponsor. Additionally, as schools of choice, charter must satisfy the parents and students who choose them. Charter sponsors, or authorizers, weigh in at three intervals: evaluation of applications, ongoing monitoring or oversight, and renewal of charters at the end of their term (usually 3-5 years, 15 in Arizona).