Public Education
explanatory Essay
1448 words
Public education in the United States is perhaps one of the most critical issues we face as a nation. Once pronouncing the United States as a “nation at risk”, the educational institution began to implement one reform strategy after another. In efforts to improve schooling for K-12 students, education reform has fiddled with class size, revised graduation requirements, and created standardized testing just to name a few. Unfortunately, traditional public schools are still failing to provide students with a quality education. This is disheartening as we learn that the United States lags behind in math and science compared to our international counterparts. It is safe to say that educational reform has spent billions of dollars over the years in an honest effort to reform education in American; however, most reform decisions have produced little changes.
Among the many radical education reform strategies implemented, charter schools are perhaps one of the most prominent. It has been roughly twenty years since several states opened a number of charter schools. The best way to describe charter schools is to say they are independent public schools of choice that are free from rules and regulations compared to traditional public schools. Charter schools are accountable for producing results; otherwise, they are subject to closing due to failing performance. There are more than 5,400 charter schools serving more than 1.7 million children across the country (Center for Education Reform, 2010). Currently, 40 states and the District of Columbia have charter school with 41 laws in place and only 13 have strong laws. The states with the strong laws, 65 percent show positive achievement gains (Center for Education Reform, 2010). These stati...
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...ountry could benefit from the presence of charter schools. Although traditional public schooling is in trouble, they are not lost. With thousands of students on waiting list for charter school enrollment and a thousand more who will not attend a school of choice speaks to the need for charter schools. Conventional public schools need to move beyond the mandates of a bureaucratic system in order to experience real revitalization. Perhaps Andy Smarick has the right idea instead of trying to fix failing schools close them and start fresh (2010). Perhaps it is unrealistic to believe with the number of failing schools across this country we could replace them with new schools, but it is clear that something has to be done to ensure a quality education exist for all students. In the meantime, why not give charter schools a chance to educate those who they can serve.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that public education in the united states is perhaps one of the most critical issues we face as a nation.
- Explains that charter schools are independent public schools of choice, free from rules and regulations, and accountable for producing results; otherwise, they are subject to closing due to failing performance.
- Explains that the civil right project (crp) reviewed data from the u.s. department of education’s common core of data to compare the racial composition between charter schools and traditional public schools.
- Explains the importance of school choice to parents and their desire to enroll their children in charter schools.
- Opines that every child and family in this country, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, and zip code, has the right to receive a quality education within the best schools.
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- Charter Schools: Bigger Problem in Disguiseopinion essayOne of the most pressing issues facing the United States today is its failing educational system. While many solutions have been proposed, the idea of charter schools has been both popular and controversial. The topic of charter schools is being debated in as many places as local school board meetings to state supreme courts. Though on the surface, charter schools seem like an exciting and promising step for the future of education in America, they are not the answer to this country’s ever-increasing educational problems. Charters will drain already scarce funding from regular public schools, and many of the supposed “positives” surrounding them are uncertain and unpredictable at best.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that charter schools are an exciting and promising step for the future of education in america, but they are not the answer to this country's ever-increasing educational problems.
- Explains that charter schools combine traits and features of both public and private schools. teachers are given more freedom in charters, and they are not expected to stick to a certain curriculum.
- Explains that charter schools attract less-qualified teachers due to lower pay, which results in many students leaving the system before completing it.
- Opines that charter schools could damage public education as a whole for years to come.
- Argues that charter schools aren't beneficial enough for the majority of citizens to be a solution, and that the only way to guarantee quality learning is to invest in public schools.
- Cites the work citedgale. "charter schools." 2012. opposing viewpoints.
- Opines that the success of charter schools is a myth.
585 wordsRead More - The future of our country relies heavily on the successes of our children. With a rise in global competition and a downturn in the economy, it is now more important than ever for the youth of our country to receive the best education possible. As the Obama administration prepares to revamp the No Child Left Behind initiative, much attention is being given to the challenges and successes of charter schools. A charter school is defined as a school that operates independently from the local school board, often with a curriculum and educational philosophy that are different from the other schools in the system. Advocates for charters schools, while focusing on the success stories, believe that funding is needed for these schools so that the successes will continue to grow. Others claim that the success of charter schools is exaggerated and additional funding provided to these charter schools is taking away from the less successful schools that need more assistance. Should the new education initiative emphasize more funding to support a growing number of charter schools? In order for the new education initiative to be successful, the positive elements of charter schools should be gleaned and incorporated into the general public school system and into pre-existing schools.
In this essay, the author
- Recommends that the obama administration revamp the no child left behind initiative to focus on the challenges and successes of charter schools.
- Explains that charter school parents are more motivated than traditional public schools. they are involved in their children's education and their everyday lives.
- Opines that traditional public schools should be receptive to local and national businesses and organizations willing to get involved.
- Explains that charter schools must adhere to the same core curriculum as traditional public schools, but offer special programs from art and music to drop-out prevention programs. fiscal autonomy is also a core attribute of the charter school.
- Opines that charter schools are not the ultimate answer to the problems of the educational system in this country.
- Explains that getting parents involved is the foundation of student success when mom and dad come to class, kids do better. ravitch, diane, wolf, susan, and larsons communications press release.
1172 wordsRead More - The Pros And Cons Of Charter Vs. Public Schoolsanalytical essayTo 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...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the 2010 documentary, the lottery, reveals that the charter vs. public school controversy continues to increase, creating rising tensions in communities nationally.
- Argues that charter schools are public schools, which operate under different guidelines. they argue that they are perceived as private institutions, while opponents express the need for public school reform as crucial in promoting educational equality.
- Analyzes the political and economic differences between the public and charter schools, which directly go to the question.
- Argues that there is little evidence that charter schools produce greater benefits for students, although this is very much the public perception.
- Argues that there is an intense and complex argument regarding charter vs. public schools. both sides insist on change, yet neither proposes or accepts the reasonable course of revising the public school system.
- Cites buckley, jack, & schneider, mark. charter schools: hope or hype? princeton university press, 2009.
934 wordsRead More - Public vs Charter Schoolsanalytical essayPublic 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 ...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that charter schools can benefit people economically, educationally, and as well as socially.
- Explains that charter schools originated in new york city around the late 1980s and early 1990s by a man named albert shanker.
- Analyzes how new york city charter schools saw a 2,328% enrollment increase in 10 years, compared to traditional public schools. the oklahoman editorial reports that chartering is supported by 70% of the american public.
- Explains that charter schools are considered public schools so parents can give their child the best education without spending a lot of money.
- Explains that charters have a difficult time getting long-term loans because they have short contracts with their authorizers. they are often occupying facilities that school districts no longer use and often need repair and fixing.
- Argues that charters aren't getting funded because some communities and states are reluctant to welcome successful charter schools into the school system.
- Explains that charter schools provide a high-quality learning that students can receive due to several factors. harding charter preparatory high school excels in its education.
- Explains that the progress of washington, d.c. charter schools shows that 43% of public school students attend charters and perform better in reading and math. collaboration is essential to deliver a better education.
- Explains that students at charter schools benefit from the small classes and the relationships between peers and teachers. charter schools provide resources that are not easy gotten at bigger public schools to the size of the student population.
- Argues that charter schools' diversity and close relationships allow students to build as a person with the help of the school having high expectations and encouraging personal responsibility.
- Argues that charter and traditional schools need to cooperate and work together to improve the education system.
- Explains that nyc charter schools see 2,328% enrollment boom over 10-year period as fewer students attend public schools.
2770 wordsRead More - It was with wild fanfare that the state’s Republican legislature and Republican Governor enacted their reforms for the state’s public school system. Among the panaceas was charter schools, a ‘90s education fad that gives individual parents the right to send their children to state-approved public charter schools at public expense. Politicians reasoned that less-bureaucratic charter schools would teach students better than traditional public schools because charter schools wouldn’t be subject to the same mandates that the state had heaped upon public schools. Furthermore, traditional schools would be forced to compete with charter schools as they lured thousands of students and millions of dollars away from traditional public schools. Competition from charter schools would then lead to all-around better schools in the state as traditional public schools improved themselves to remain competitive with the cutting-edge charter schools.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the charter school movement seeks to have greater individualism in determining how one’s children should be educated by moving towards freedom of contract.
- Opines that their skepticism of the competitive mechanism created by charter schools applies only to charter school inability to compete with public schools.
- Argues that the charter school movement represents a limited shift towards freedom of contract, which unfairly mixes individual decision making with the expenditure of public tax dollars.
- Argues that charter schools are based on an irrational notion of competition. they argue that the community needs to reach consensus on how best to educate its youth.
- Opines that the salvation lies in charter schools or an individualist approach to educating children. cooperation is the means by which we will improve schools in michigan.
1953 wordsRead More - Charter Schoolsanalytical essayCharter schools are independent schools that are operated under a contract or charter approved by the state. These schools are tuition free and are funded by taxpayer dollars. However, charter schools do not have to follow the laws and regulations that traditional public schools do (“Charter schools,” 2011). In charter schools, teachers are given more opportunities to be innovative in the classroom, because they have less restrictions as to what is being taught. Most charter schools have specialized programs and can emphasize particular fields of study (“Charter schools,” 2011). Charter schools are still accountable for student accomplishment (“What are”, n.d.). Each charter school has specific goals that are set prior to the schools opening; if these goals are not met, then the school can be shut down. So even though these schools do not have to abide by state and federal laws and regulations they must prove they are providing a valuable education to their students.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that charter schools insured the continuing improvement of schooling in the 1980s. minnesota was the first state to create a charter school.
- Explains charter schools are independent schools that are operated under a contract or charter approved by the state. they are tuition free and funded by taxpayer dollars.
- Explains the five stages in the lifecycle of a charter school: generating ideas, planning the charter, preparing for teaching, and monitoring and evaluating.
- Explains the economic benefits of opening charter schools; they foster competition and stimulate the local economy. the more schools in a given area forces both public and private schools to improve.
- Explains that charter schools aren't always as good as they seem. one study examined sixteen states that contain five-thousand or more students that attend them.
- Explains that charter schools were implementing strict rules for their students, weeding out the lower-achieving students and keeping the more successful students.
- Analyzes how a study of north carolina charter schools found that charters schools were academically behind traditional public schools in success and were no better at serving at-risk students.
- Explains that charter schools give parents of a community choice as to where to send their children other than the local public schools. they encourage competition of schools which promotes better school practices.
- Analyzes the positive economic effects of charter schools. accuracy in academia.
- Explains that charter schools unload problem students onto neighboring public schools and reap the benefits.
- Cites education week's article on charter schools in minnesota, and the minnesota legislative reference library.
983 wordsRead More - Charter Schools in Washington DC: A Reasonable Solution?analytical essayCharter schools, which exist all over the United States, are “rooted in the premise of public, free education nestled in the ideas of parental choice” (Pardo 6). Since “Minnesota launched its first charter school in 1991”, charter schools have experienced “an enormous increase in number to over 5,300 by 2011” (Chen). Like traditional public schools, charter schools are “funded with public money” (Chen). However, parents have to “submit a separate application to enroll their children in charter schools, and spaces are often limited” (Pascual). Each charter school has an independent governing board that oversees finance (Pardo 6). Enrollment is based on choice, with parents selecting schools due to their specific focus, curriculum or other features (Pardo 7). When enrollment is exc...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that washington d.c. has a problematic history with public school education. to address this problem, the district has started making critical reforms.
- Explains that charter schools are funded with public money and have an independent governing board that oversees finance.
- Opines that charter schools are a promising education reform and that policy makers who support them point to positive results from parents' responses, instructional innovation, and state standardized assessments.
- Explains that parents' satisfaction with charter schools increases when they choose their child's school. buckley and schneider conducted research of parental evaluations of washington d.c.
- Argues that charter schools are hurting the enrollment and achievement of traditional d.c. public schools.
- Opines that charter schools are promising reforms to improve public school graduation rates and offer a practical alternative for students to receive high-quality education.
- Opines that chart schools are a colossal mistake. here’s why.
- Analyzes how the chart school lottery gamble with kids’ futures—and often loses. politics daily.
- Analyzes the positive trend seen in charter schools in washington d.c., citing the u.s. department of education.
- Analyzes the relationship between student achievement and charter schools in washington, dc.
2379 wordsRead More - A Unique Approach: Education in Public and Charter Schoolsexplanatory essaySchool choice: two words that together spell out a multitude of educational options for students today. Among them are charter schools and public schools; public schools standing the test of time and charter schools being at the forefront of a revolution in educational change. Surprisingly, these two educational institutions have more in common than one might think, but maintain their differences. Key differences between charter and public schools include approach to education, funding, level of government involvement, and enrollment practices. Despite these differences, both charter and public schools share the following features: free of charge to students, required to demonstrate adequate yearly progress on state standardized tests and status as public institutions. Charter schools are educational institutions that share common features with public schools and at the same time have key differences that make them unique.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the differences between charter and public schools, which include approach to education, funding, level of government involvement, and enrollment practices.
- Explains charter schools and public schools share a definition as public educational institutions. charter schools tailor curriculum, assessments, program goals, and measures of achievement towards the students their charter serves.
- Explains that charter schools and public schools receive funding from state and federal government that allows them to provide students with a free public education.
- Explains that charter schools have freedom and flexibility to design their schools around the unique needs of the students it intends to serve through its charter.
- Explains that charter schools are independent of the geographic boundaries that sanction public schools within a larger district.
- Explains that charter schools and public schools are set apart by their differences, but there is common ground in the similar features each share.
- Explains that charter schools and public schools share features, but remain unique from each other. charter schools are free of charge, accountable for demonstrating student achievement through state assessments and graduation standards.
- Cites mn association of charter schools facts & statistics and minnesota charter school resource center.
972 wordsRead More - Charter Schools and New Institutionalismanalytical essayInstitutional theory explains how government control of schools has resulted in the creation of “schooling rules” which leads to greater isomorphism within the institution of education (Meyer & Rowan, The Structure of Educational Organizations, 1978). These “schooling rules” that have resulted from the institutionalization of government control are the very “rituals” which charter school advocates claim have homogenized education. Charter school advocates proposed a new decentralized alternative form of schooling in order to protect against this homogenization and standardization and to create a better education system in the United States. Charter school supporters assert that by lifting governmental controls over schools, charter schools will lead to new teaching and learning methodologies and more efficient school models. Looking at charter schools through a new institutionalism lens helps us to understand the rise of charter schools in U.S. education.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the 5,600 public charter schools enrolling more than two million students nationwide, with 400,000 students on wait lists. the 2011-2012 school year marks the largest single-year increase ever recorded.
- Analyzes how institutional theory explains how government control of schools has resulted in greater isomorphism within the institution of education. charter school advocates proposed a new decentralized alternative form of schooling to protect against homogenization and standardization.
- Opines that the rise of charter schools shows that they are not structurally different from traditional schooling routes because they have gained more legitimacy over the past 20 years.
- Explains meyer and rowan's argument that charter schools became a legitimate form of schooling through conformity.
- Explains that dimaggio and powell would also say that charter schools gained legitimacy through conformity rather than efficiency.
- Analyzes how charter schools challenge the tenets of the institutional environment and the rules, norms, and rituals that define legitimate forms of schooling.
- Cites a recent book chapter by h.d. meyer and brian rowan, institutional analysis and the study of education, in which they present 3 changes that have altered the institutional reality of education in k-12 public education.
- Opines that it will be interesting to see where charter schools would fit in with this line of thinking.
- Cites national alliance for public charter schools press releases. dimaggio, powell, and rowan, h.-d.
841 wordsRead More - The Asinine Argument between Charter Schools and Public Schoolsanalytical essayFoster, Anne. "Time for Detente between Charter and Traditional Public Schools."Academic Search Alumni Edition. EBSCO, 1 Feb. 2014. Web. 22 June 2014. .
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how eric roachford preaches to his sons that college makes the difference between a job and career. the lottery system was enacted to admit students into harlem success academy charter schools.
- Explains that for-profit educational management organizations (emos) may hinder charter schools' vision of students' success in education.
- Explains that charter schools are merely public schools created by locals to satisfy educational needs of students that are not otherwise emphasized in traditional schools.
- Argues that the panacea to a poor public education system is converting every public school to charter schools.
- Analyzes how banks' cheating scandal teaches a disheartening lesson. dixon, jennifer. michigan spends $1b on charter schools but fails to hold them accountable.
1188 wordsRead More