Understanding the Stigma Around Charter Schools

Charter schools are a somewhat recent addition to the education landscape after they became popular in the early 1990s, per Public Charter Schools Insider.

Charter schools are run separately from the public schools but often still draw from some of the same taxpayer funds that public schools rely on. Some communities saw these unique schools as offering more varied options to students since they have more freedom in curriculum, enrollment, and policy.

For example, some charter schools specialize their education, focusing on the arts or trades, while others follow more closely to what you'd expect to see them doing in public schools.

It's this very freedom (and the added financial strain on taxpayers) that has some questioning whether charter schools are actually bad. Keep reading and learn some pros and cons about charter schools.

There are some reasons why people find charter schools to be problematic. First, they divert resources from public schools, like one example from New York City. While it varies from district to district, some areas are required to bus children from their home district to the charter school, which means pulling transportation away from the students.

Additionally, these schools get a portion of the money allocated for public schools by the state government, depending on whether they are public or private charters.

That can be frustrating for parents and caregivers whose children are enrolled in public school, especially when those students have no choice but to attend their local establishments. As Scholarships360 notes, charter schools have limited openings. While a public school will be forced to accommodate students in their community, charter schools are not, and they can close enrollment once they are at max capacity.

Some find that egregious, especially since they are depleting the resources of the very schools that those students are trying to leave.

Then there's the fact that not all charter schools are created equally. Each school operates under its own charter (hence the name), meaning they aren't held to the same standard, per Vox. This can lead to different levels of quality, with some schools offering subpar education or failing to teach the essentials that students would learn in a public school. 

That's not to say that there isn't a large amount of support for these schools. Those struggling in public school for social reasons may benefit from switching to a charter school. Similarly, those who are excelling academically and need more of a challenge could also do well in a charter school setting if it's a program that focuses more on advanced learners.

According to the Helpful Professor website, students enrolled in charter schools may even have a better chance of going to institutions of higher learning. According to them, not only do these students sometimes have higher scores on national tests, they are also accepted into more prestigious colleges and universities at a higher rate.

That may be because teachers can tailor their lessons around student needs, instead of mandated curriculum.

As you can see, there are a lot of reasons to love (and loathe) charter schools, and how much you value some of the above pros and cons are likely to be the deciding factor in how you feel about these types of schools.