Parents are active in charter schools as they are expected to participate in their child's education. Many parents volunteer in the classroom, on PTO committees and even as governing board members. Parents have literally built their child's classroom. Some charter schools have been formed in rural Colorado so small towns would not lose their only school. Charter schools foster a close knit community of families which spend time together at school functions and develop caring relationships.
Parents work together for the benefit of all the children in the school.
Parents given the opportunity to choose an educational philosophy suited to the student, frequently results in improved academic achievement. According to 1997 assessment results in reading and writing, many public charter school students scored higher than students in neighborhood public schools. Thirty percent of the schools receiving a School of Excellence award from the State Board of Education in 1997 were charter schools. Charter Schools comprise only 3 percent of the total number of public schools in Colorado. It's time to acknowledge the successful, permanent role charter schools play in educating our state's children.