Charter schools give parents, students, and educators public school alternatives based on the idea that competition will bring new educational ideas. This brochure provides an overview of the charter school movement and directs you to additional sources for more information. Most of these schools were in the South and West. More than 60 percent of the parents surveyed said charter schools are better than their children's previous schools in terms of teaching quality, individual attention from teachers, curriculum, discipline, parent involvement, and academic standards. These ongoing studies will not review academic achievement for at least another year, but they have already provided valuable information.
Some states let charter schools work fairly independently, while other states use more control.
Third, parents and students tend to choose charter schools because of dissatisfaction with public schools. Parents and students are attracted to charter schools because of their high standards, small size, and supportive environment. Some people hope that charter schools might provide both new models of schooling and competitive pressure on public schools that will improve the current system. Others fear that charter schools might, at best, be little more than a way to relieve pressure for genuine change and, at worst, add to other forces that threaten public education. Are public schools operating outside the establishment, which could help change existing public schools.