Charter Schools: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I am lucky enough to have a preschool program, in a regular neighborhood school, that parents are excited to enroll their children in. My classroom remains full all year despite a high mobility rate in our school neighborhood. We generally have a waiting list of children that can be called if a spot becomes available throughout the school year. I work hard to develop a classroom where the children are engaged in student centered activities and projects that connect to their interests and build on their prior knowledge and experiences. As I speak to the parents throughout the school year they have expressed their happiness with the program and the education their child is receiving in my classroom.

You would think that this positive experience would encourage parents to continue their student’s education at our school. However, something changes once their child leaves preschool. At the end of the school year I ask the parents if they intend to enroll their child in kindergarten at our school. This year five out of twenty-one children are opting out of their neighborhood school and enrolling their child in a charter school. When one parent informed me that her child would be going to a charter school next year, she stated that her other three children go to the charter school already. She said the children take a bus to school at six o’clock in the morning and they have school activities until 6 o’clock at night. She said, “It’s a great program”, and went on to say that I would be a great fit in that school.

Enrollment is decreasing steadily in our school. In 2006 our student enrollment was 471 this school year we have 295 students enrolled. If enrollment continues to decrease our school could close. Parents seem to feel that alternative schools will provide their children with a better education. Some parents believe that these charter schools automatically have the best teachers and will provide the best opportunities. I wonder where they get these ideas. Are these schools truly benefiting the children attending? Are the children receiving a better education? Are there negative aspects to charter schools that people may not be seeing?

To be continued…

Mrs. J