Why are people against charter schools?

Why are people against charter schools? What do they have against more options and more variety for their children to have a good quality education? Many people in support of charter schools claim it is because of a lack or misinterpretation of information that they have received regarding the schools. Sure some charter schools have gone under and a some of them have been meeting sub-par standards of education and display, but not all of them are like that. What could possibly lead people to believe that charter schools are any worse than a public school? 

Millburn Parents Against Charter Schools

 Many people believe that they siphon money and students away from successful public schools by opening the charter school in successful areas where charter schools are considered unneeded. Some people also say that the opening of charter schools within the state is an act against democracy in the nation, saying that even though many public schools received many budget cuts across the board in the state, Governor Christie didn't even go near the money that was being used to fund charter schools. They claim that this action, without giving the people a chance to speak their mind about the topic, is against what this nation stands for. They also claim that they should be focusing more on the schools they already have, not make new ones that will only stretch the already low funding aid thin. These actions has caused several anti-charter schools to pop up, such as the Millburn Parents Against Charter Schools, to voice their opinions against charters and to actively fight against their openings. For the average opinion on most anti-charter school groups, here is a link to a blog that fairly accurately shows the opinions on most people against charters:

http://oppositiontocharterschools.blogspot.com/




credit to photos: nytimes.com and blogs.ajc.com

Chris Christie's Support for Charters

Chris Christie has been a really avid supporter of charter schools and he has been making that clear for quite some time now, ever since he displayed his education reform agenda. Being such a big supporter of charters, the governor was thrilled when he announced that the state is going to be given nearly $14.5 million dollars to bolster the states charter schools thanks to the Charter School SEA (State Educational Agencies) grant last year. Only three states in the nation were selected to receive this grant, and New Jersey was lucky enough to get one of those spots. The money will be used to help new charter schools expand during their initial three years to help get them on their feet, as well as to enhance the already existing charter schools in the state who are willing to grow. The money will also help the charters relay information and teaching innovations and practices to one another so that all students can experience a great diversity of new and help full teaching techniques.
 According to the New Jersey State Department of Education, "The award recognizes the aggressive work done by the Christie Administration to strengthen accountability for charter schools in the state and therefore improve the quality of options for students." Said Chris Christie on receiving the grant, "We have and will continue to support the expansion of high-quality charter schools as one way to ensure that all students have great educational options available to them. Every student in New Jersey deserves a choice of where they attend school, not only to ensure that no child is assigned to a failing school, but also so that families can select a school that gives their child the best opportunity for success." The grant will most likely help the effectiveness and long term stability of many of the states charter schools.

Credit for photos: nj.com and northjersey.com

Why are some states still not jumping on the charter school bandwagon?

Map of States With Charter Schools

Since the first charter school law was passed in Minnesota in 1991, as of now 42 states and the District of Columbia now have charter schools within their borders. There has been a lot of back and forth argumentation over whether charter schools are still worth supporting or if they are effective at all as opposed to standard public education, but what is causing the other eight states to halt their process of  putting in charters schools?  Last year, Washington became the most recent state to sign a charter school law, leaving 
the only ones that have yet to open a charter school are the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia. 

These states have tried and failed on several occasions to try and pass a law that would allow charters to open their doors in the states, but none of them have been able to come to an agreement that would benefit the schools or the students themselves. Some of the main reasons why charter schools have yet to open in these states is mainly because of people clamoring over the same reasons as to why other anti-charter school organizations are trying to get charter schools removed in their states. The same arguments such as "they will siphon money away from public schools," or "they are all run by greedy corporations" that are used here in opposition against charter schools are some reasons many state officials are afraid to sign in a law. 


Another reason as to why these states can't sign a law, is because some politicians just can't seem to come to an agreement that would best suit charters or their students. Some officials in West Virginia have strong support for charters, but their requests as to how they are implemented, such as being publicly funded but privately taught, does not sit well with the officials on the other side of the argument. Eventually the states will surely adopt a law on charter schools, maybe even sooner than they think. But as of now charter schools are taking a back seat in these last eight states.


Credit to photos: hawaiicharterschools.com,edwize.org and southernstudies.org

In what states are charter schools failing?

Mississippi House passes charter school law

In what states are charter schools failing? A lot of people are throwing statistics all around, claiming that charter schools are failing and aren't doing the children any good, while people in support of charters are throwing around statistics as well, saying that they are the future of education within the United States. But which states offer the best charter schools? Of the 42 states that have charter schools, which are more likely to contain ones that will give your child a good quality education? According to the Center of Education Reform and their annual law report card as of January 2013, only four states have done beyond satisfactory and have received an "A" grade, including Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and the District of Columbia. New Jersey, along with 18 other states received a grade in the "C" level for semi-satisfactory. The four states that failed and are stuck in the "F" category are Kansas, Iowa, Virginia and Mississippi. You can read up on all the states and the grades they received from the Center of Education Reform website: http://www.edreform.com/2013/01/2013-charter-law-ranking-chart/. 

Why are so many of these charter schools not meeting standards? According to the CER, many of the states that ranked "C" or lower is because of the boundaries set by the government or special interest groups in the state. In New Jersey for example, the amount of aid for people that are  financial challenged is growing, yet the lower quality teacher index as well as special interest groups like the Millburn Parents Against Charter Schools limiting the amount of power affecting school boards are affecting the potential of the state to grow education wise. Indiana has been ranked as the top state for charter schools, based on their superior digital learning elements, abundance of reliable quality teachers and its encouragement of public contribution  just to name a few of its upsides. You can see all the status of all the other states in the nation by following the link: http://www.edreform.com/in-the-states/parent-power-index/#al.


credit for photos: mpbonline.org and blog.gulflive.com 

Timeline of Charter Schools in New Jersey

From 1995 to today, here is a timeline showing the progress of charter schools in the state of New Jersey:

·         http://www.dipity.com/AdamCamp/Charter-Schools-in-NJ/#