The schools have developed hiring practices and personnel policies to meet their own needs. Among the highest achieving schools are those that give priority to recruiting faculty who are proficient in their subject areas and are less concerned with certification and pedagogical experience. In the two highest-achieving schools, fewer than half of faculty members have Massachusetts certification. Inspectors did find in a few schools a lack of faculty knowledge in some subjects, with history and science being particular problem areas. These findings are similar to national assessments of teacher quality.
Parents volunteer in the classroom and wherever else help is needed.
Many of the schools provide parents with substantive information about the curriculum that makes them more effective volunteers and more able to help their kids at home. A number of schools have begun to disseminate best practices through their web sites and through efforts to share curricular units and other resources with district-school teachers and the larger education community. In sum, the charter schools that have reached the five-year mark are taking advantage of their autonomy and flexibility to create effective learning communities. They are accountable to parents, the local community, and the public. Their staff are sharing what they've learned with other educators.