Charter Schools Show Success

Not all public schools are bad, just like not all charter or private schools are superior to public schools. However, overall, the findings are that charter schools have some serious advantages over the standard public schools. (Important note: charter schools are public schools, but are managed differently).
With many school districts in Missouri struggling, there is no doubt as to why charter schools are gaining support. Would you want to send your child to a public school that was unaccredited and your child is failing? What parent would?
An article posted in Missouri Political News Service, written by Sarah Brodsky, describes why charter schools may have a leg up.

SMI Commentary: Charter Schools Succeed at Language Instruction

March 23rd, 2009 by mopns · No Comments

Former Show-Me Institute policy analyst Sarah Brodsky highlights another reason why inner city public schools are failing our children and not preparing them for the 21st century economy.

By Sarah Brodsky

Charter schools, the public schools run by independent organizations that are continual subjects of debate, are often compared to traditional public schools on the basis of facts and figures. Education reformers pore over test scores and graduation rates. They ask how many alumni go on to attend college. They tally the number of school computers and count how many hours students spend in the classroom. All of those measures reveal something about school quality, of course, but parents may consider any number of other factors when choosing where to send their children.

Fortunately, charter schools have the flexibility to tailor their curricula to specific types of student needs. For instance, charter schools that focus on foreign languages are flourishing across the country. Here in Missouri, there is currently one French-immersion charter school, Academie Lafayette of Kansas City, and French- and Spanish-immersion charters are set to open this year in Saint Louis. These specialized charter schools give students language-learning opportunities unmatched by traditional public schools, and their achievement in this area of instruction showcases the charter model’s advantages. Read more…