We have recently pulled DD from a highly rated charter. Though the charter had some great things about it, it was very small, and really lacks the resources of a larger school. At various points we were actually concerned that DD might be kicked out. She occasionally melts down at school and there were simply no staff available to deal with this, as the school reminded us in tones of horror. Also, certain important school staff did not like her and in a school of this size, it was really an issue. Finally, they did not follow the proper legal procedures regarding G and T testing or IEPs. We feel the school has major bright spots but that power is mostly in the hands of one person, and oversight is lacking. In some ways, it is rather frightening. The school also tacitly discourages parents of children with special needs of any kind from enrolling. I know of other parents who have left the school for this reason--the child's educational needs were just not being met. The school DOES cherry-pick and is pretty open about this (our state's laws are somewhat vague on this).
The charter also does not offer buses or after-school care and recruits almost entirely through word of mouth, which ends up meaning the people who go there tend to know each other (the kids also often went to all the same preschools). They make virtually no effort to reach out to less advantaged students, and their enrollment reflects this. In a city that is about 50% minority, it is about 10% minority.
Overall, I have very mixed feelings about charters. I recognize that the system is in crisis overall and that some charters do excellent work and can really help certain kids. Our zoned school is absolutely not an option and I'm grateful that we have charters available, but they are a band-aid at best, and have some real drawbacks.
Last edited by ultramarina; 05/25/11 09:08 AM.
