In most states charter schools are not part of the traditional school district. If they fail to deliver, they are closed. Students choose to attend, and teachers choose to teach at charters. Instead of jumping through procedural hoops and over paperwork hurdles, educators can focus on setting and reaching high academic standards for their students. Oftentimes parents feel that while their local school does a good job, it might not be equipped to handle the uniqueness of their children.
Charter schools place healthy pressure on districts to provide equal or better services.
The oldest charter school is almost eight years old and it was renewed upon demon- strating success. T oday charter schools are serving nearly half a million children but they are still a big unknown to most parents. We've taken the top five questions heard most often about charter schools and provided some well-researched answers for them.