The original concept behind charter school was to set them free from existing school bureaucracy so they could innovate then share the most successful ideas and concepts with public schools.
1. Charter schools just like private schools don't have to put up with your kid's shit. They don't have to deal with the kid who acts up day after day, they simply kick the kid back to public schools where we have no choice but to take them back.
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This is a very important lesson that goes unheeded. School should be a privilege that one can loose. If you are a serial disruptor you can lose your place at your wonderful charter or private school. Why then should you be enabled to continue to disrupt in the public school setting? But they do, every single day.
2. Socioeconomic status remains the best predictor of a child's success in school. Since charters tend to draw from a wide geographic base school bus transportation is not practical.
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This one factor in itself screens out a lot of less fortunate kids from the program because their parents don't have the means to get them to and from school. This guarantees students higher on the socioeconomic spectrum. Public school are mandated to provide transportation.
3. Another corollary with high socioeconomic standing is a greater awareness of the importance of education. This leads these parents to seek out better opportunities. Better off families often have a bit more discretionary time to devote to volunteer work in the classrooms, drivers for field trips and generous financial supporters for fundraisers.
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One charter school teachers explained, "It's like having all the PTA parents in the district all working together at one school. Our parents are terrific, they help guarantee our success."