Title: The Kids Got It and the Teachers Smiled: A Charter Fulfills Its Vision
Abstract: Introduction Nationally and regionally educators, parents, and policy-makers are debating the financial and educational contributions of charter schools to the institution of public education. Proponents of charters argue that standardized cannot meet the needs of a student population that is becoming increasingly diverse. They believe that there has to be an educational alternative for students who are dissatisfied or not able to function in the regular public schools. The National Educational Association (NEA) believes that charter school are a viable option to traditional public schools; however, the NEA is concerned that provisions for charters have meaningful standards of equity and educational quality. The NEA cautiously endorses charter schools stating, schools can become change agents within public school systems by charting new and creative ways of teaching and learning. Or they can allow unprepared people to start schools and undermine education (NEA Statement on Charter Schools). Opponents of charter schools argue that charters will drain public schools of the best teachers and students and deprive existing public schools of needed funding. Some opponents are concerned that charters will be used by voucher proponents as a way of creating private schools with public funds. In 1995, the debate about choice as a reform took place in the North Carolina legislature. At issue was giving dissatisfied parents an alternative to the existing public schools. Because of the constitutional questions about vouchers, the legislature decided on charter schools as a compromise between public and private school choice and passed the Charter Schools Act of 1996(1) that invites any person or group of people on behalf of a nonprofit corporation to file an application for a charter school. They limited the number of charter schools to 100 and limited each school district to a maximum of five. During the summer of 1997 the State Board of Education gave final approval to 37 charter schools, and in 1998 they approved 30 additional schools. North Carolina defines a charter school as a deregulated public school. Charter schools have freedom and flexibility in programs and curriculum, give parents choice, receive public funding, and must meet achievement goals; however, these schools cannot charge tuition or discriminate. Charters that have been issued typically focus on a new curricular or organizational approach that is different from those in regular public schools. This legislated reform offered a group of people the opportunity to implement schools that they felt would enlighten children. The school that I present here is Global Middle School, a pseudonym, which has as its founding principles the development of students who are independent learners, critical thinkers, and active and responsible participants in a global society. Global is currently in its second year of operation with 112 students, 56 in sixth and seventh grades. I will use Global's instructional culture including beliefs about students, curriculum, and pedagogy and its history to show that charter schools, as the NEA statement on charter schools states, can become change agents within public school systems by charting new and creative ways of teaching and learning, and they can have meaningful standards of equity and educational quality. Global's charter was also established without draining the public schools of the best teachers and students and depriving existing public schools of needed funding. Global Middle School Using the voices of informants, the following case of Global Middle School presents the educational reform through the schools' instructional culture and history. A school's culture creates an environment where students can respond to the instruction afforded them. A charter school's culture--its beliefs, rituals, and common experiences--emanate from the vision of their founders. …
Publication Year: 2016
Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 3
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