As the 2010 documentary, The Lottery, reveals, the charter vs. public school controversy continues to increase, creating rising tensions in communities nationally. The film centers on the issue in New York's Harlem and an actual lottery enabling a select few children to attend a charter, rather than a zoned school. This is however, essentially a microcosmic version of the larger debate, and perhaps the most interesting aspect of it is that both sides are after the same goal: the best possible education for children within the public school sector. The issue is complex, as the realities of charter and public schools present a wide range of specific concerns. Nonetheless, both sides of the debate are united by another element, that of identifying whether charter schools actually serve student needs more successfully than public schools. When the actual circumstances are assessed, the important complications surrounding the debate are noted, and the misleading and enormous factor of public perception is addressed, it is seen that charter schools are not superior to public schools.
To understand the actual differences of charter and public school quality of education, it is important to emphasize a fact often lost in the debate; namely, charter schools are public schools, which simply operate under different guidelines. This reality is more critical because of how perception clouds it. Charter schools are perceived as private institutions, supporters of them tend to be conservatives who feel the schools represent the value of competition in education, while opponents typically express the need for public school reform as more crucial in promoting educational equality (Rofes, 159). This political and ideological compone...
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... no real superiority of the charter school over the public school.
Works Cited
Buckley, Jack, & Schneider, Mark. Charter Schools: Hope or Hype? Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009. Print.
National Education Association (NEA). Charter Schools. 2014. Web. 27 June 2014.
Reuben, Savahna. “'The Lottery' Review.” Trinity College: Education Reform. 24 Feb. 2013. Web. 27 June 2014.
Rofes, Eric, & Stulberg, Lisa M. The Emancipatory Promise of Charter Schools: Toward a Progressive Politics of School Choice. Albany: SUNY Press, 2012. Print.
Sanchez, Claudio. “The Charter School Vs. Public School Debate Continues.” National Public Radio, 2013. Web. 27 June 2014.
Schools, nor any other institution that will be providing education cannot refuse to give your/any child the service needed because it costs too much. The Federal Law, IDEA requires school to provide the services a child needs to gain a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) means at no cost to the parents. According to Altshuler and Kopels (2003), Advocating in Schools for Children with Disabilities: What’s New with IDEA?” States that it is mandated a variety of legal rights to have a free and appropriate public education provided in the least restrictive area/environment. For this reason parents are their children’s best advocates. Parents know their children better than anyone else. No matter the circumstances a parent sees all the flaw and potential at home that a teacher or administrator will never see.
Ravitch, Diane. "The Success of Charter Schools is a Myth." 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Document. 20 November 2013. .
I agree with critics of the film in one way; Charter schools are not the answer to our current system’s problems. Charter schools are a direct product of an attempt at privatizing education. That is, trying to make public education into a private business where companies can invest and profit. Public education is a basic right provided for us by the government, and paid for by taxpayers. Charter schools take taxpayer money, give it to companies, and put the burden of teaching our children on the compa...
They said that the Lottery is biased for the reason that the filmmaker stands for Charters school, and the film presents the situation from Charters Schools’ point of view or specifically Harlem Academy Charter School’s circumstances. Besides, Sackler does not show the negative aspects of Charter schools and positive aspects of public schools. In society, public schools play an essential role in community education. Things always have two side effects, therefore, not every public schools are poor. According to the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) in Stanford University, there is only 17% of charter schools in the United States succeeded better than traditional public schools; 43% is illustrated no difference from public schools; in fact, 37% were worse than public schools in 2009. In Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, and Texas, public schools have a higher learning gains than charter schools (CREDO). In reality, not all Charter Schools success in their educational system. However, everybody has their own believe. Based on personal experiences and viewpoints in his or her community, which cause Sackler favor in Charter Schools. Additionally, Harlem Academy Charter School has a tremendous progress to the students, compared to other public schools in the New York
In a nation dominated by capitalism and free trade, steps are being taken to turn the ability to learn and other education rights into commodities that can be manipulated and controlled by companies. Charter schools are public schools funded by state money, but not unionized; they also can be in the form of a traditional brick and mortar schoolhouse or an online school (Ravitch)(Molnar)(“Preface to 'Are Charter and Magnet Schools Good Alternatives for Students?’”). According to their proponents, charter schools allow parents more sway over their child’s education (Jacoby 77). A charter school proponent Jeff Jacoby states, “Their goal: to build the kind of school that used to be commonplace in America-one providing a rigorous, traditional, fact-based
Public and charter schools may look to be the same, but charter schools differ in many ways and have an interesting origin that is often overlooked. The concept of charter schools began in New York City around the late 1980s and early 1990s by a man name Albert Shanker. They were originally created to be teacher-run schools that would provide education and services to students struggling in the traditional school system (Karp, 2013). These schools had operated outside the administrative bureaucracy and the big city school board. Shanker initial concern was that these small charter schools were dividing the district by serving a different population with unequal access as well as weakening the power of teacher union in negotiation over district-wide policies and regulations (Karp, 2013). Because of this Shanker withdrew his support, but charters had continued to grow and states were ...
Spring, Joel. (2014). Chapter 8: Local Control, Choice, Charter Schools, and Home Schooling. American Education. (Sixteenth Edition). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Zimmer, R. and Buddin, R. (2009), Is Charter School Competition in California Improving the Performance of Traditional Public Schools?. Public Administration Review, 69: 831–845. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2009.02033.x
Charter schools are public schools of choice, meaning that families choose them for their children. They operate with freedom from some of the regulations that are imposed upon school districts. Charter schools are accountable for academic results and upholding the promises made in their charters.
Every parent wants the best education for their child, but how do they decide whether to send them to a public or charter school? Parents base their decisions on what the school has to offer to their child and favoritism plays a vast role in their choice. Other factors to consider are the character building and fundamentals their children will learn and receive, student-teacher ratio, and funding for either school.
The gap between the nation’s best and worst public schools continues to grow. Our country is based on freedom and equality for all, yet in practice and in the spectrum of education this is rarely the case. We do not even have to step further than our own city and its public school system, which many media outlets have labeled “dysfunctional” and “in shambles.” At the same time, Montgomery County, located just northwest of the District in suburban Maryland, stands as one of the top school systems in the country. Within each of these systems, there are schools that excel and there are schools that consistently measure below average. Money alone can not erase this gap. While increased spending may help, the real problem is often rooted in the complex issues of social, cultural, and economic differences. When combined with factors involving the school itself and the institution that supports it, we arrive at what has been widely known as the divide between the suburban and urban schools. Can anything actually be done to reverse this apparent trend of inequality or are the outside factors too powerful to change?
Charter schools are public schools, but can be a better option than traditional public schools for some students. By definition, a charter school is a publicly funded and privately run school under the charter of an educational authority. (2-4) A charter school is held to a different set of standards than most traditional public schools. This can often work towards their advantage because it allows them to try new and unique methods of educating children. And the education system could use some fresh ideas.
One benefit is that teachers often think outside the box and are encouraged to be innovative and proactive in their classrooms. In contrast to the belief that many public-school teachers are traditional and rigid, charter school’s promoters have stated that community and parental involvement are much higher than those in traditional public schools. Therefore, charter schools are chosen because of their small class sizes, academic standards, different
from high school or have completed less than two years of college, they do not
All children in America have the right to a quality education. Most students receive that education through conventional means, going to a public or private school. There is another option for today's children, home schooling. Home schooling is a controversial issue. While it does have its benefits, some people believe it has too many downfalls to be an effective method of education. In this paper, topics such as academic impact, social impact, and parental opinions of home schooling will be discussed.