Our charter school gets the same reputation (rigid) but it is such a superior education & experience to the traditional public schools here (middle school level). One of the toughest things they enforce is submitting homework. If you don't, you get a "0" and after 3 zeros, Saturday school. I thought it was too tough on kids at first (one parent said "militaristic") until the public high schools raved about the kids who came from the charter school being the only ones who submitted assignments. The top 5% of the high school classes are from the charter school. Success in high school, I have found, is not at all related to how smart you are, but how disciplined you are. Even though I didn't like telling my son--I don't care how stupid and boring the assignment, do it and do it well--but it is a reality and the charter school rigidity prepares them well.
