By A charter school is a tuition-free publicly funded institution. These are run independently and provide various choices to parents and students. The best part about these schools is that they don’t follow the curriculum and study structure set by the government or public schools.
These institutions have skyrocketed in recent years as more than 7000 schools are now operating in North America. Moreover, one of the main reasons that parents prefer them is that they offer flexibility.
Indeed, everything comes with pros and cons. The same goes for charter schools as well. In this blog, we will discuss both the pros and cons of these school in detail.
Advantages of Charter Schools
Below is a list of some amazing pros of charter schools. So, please read them carefully!
Cost Free
The first and foremost perk of a charter school is that it’s free for the public. So if you are thinking how much should I pay someone to take my online class, not a penny?
But if they don’t charge students, then how do they function?
Here’s how:
- Funding: These schools are funded by tax just like public schools
- Tuition: Charter schools do not charge tuition fees from pupils for a regular day
- Open to all: Regardless of school zoning or other factors, these institutes are open to all pupils.
Unique Teaching Methods
One of the most important advantages of charter schools is that they offer unique teaching methods. Since these are private schools, therefore, their curriculum and standards of education don’t follow their guidelines.
Also, they offer flexibility to students. But how? Well, they don’t follow a strict rule of explaining a concept once. For example, depending on the students’ understanding, these professors help pupils by explaining the same topic multiple times until they have zero doubts about it.
Different Learning Styles
Indeed, pupils have different learning styles and these institutions embrace them. Moreover, parents get the opportunity to pick the right charter school for their child that matches his learning style.
As a result, they don’t follow a “one-size-fits-all” approach to teaching as everyone studies at a different pace and understands through various teaching styles.
Small Classrooms
Pupils often struggle to understand and reach out to their teachers in a huge classroom. Therefore, charter schools emphasize small classrooms where it gets easier for pupils to have one-on-one interaction and discussion.
This helps pupils ask teachers to take my course for me separately and learn better with the personal attention of their professor. So, learners feel more confident and participate in their classes. As a result, they get better grades and make the most of their courses.
Accountability
Charter schools are managed by individual and private contractors. Therefore, these people are accountable for their educational reforms and goals to achieve them.
They set their own academic goals and make sure to achieve them.
Are you enjoying this blog? If yes, read it till the end. Now, we will see the last perk of charter schools in this guide.
Parental Involvement
Charter schools allow parental involvement as they are the ones to pick the school for their children. Therefore, they have the right to make sure that the specific institution is providing the right facilities.
Obviously, there would be a reason to pick a particular school, for example, discipline. Therefore, parents must keep a check and balance if the school is maintaining it.
Without a doubt, it’s true that students whose parents are involved have higher chances to get academic success.
Disadvantages of Charter Schools
Reading the perks was fun, right? You might have made up your mind to get admission to one of these schools. But wait! Before you make your final decision, read the cons of charter schools as well.
Charter Schools Vary by State
While charter schools are known for offering flexibility, this may vary from state to state. Some states enforce regulations on them and they have to follow them at any cost.
Some states allow little to zero space for these schools to make any changes. As a result, it disturbs their flexibility and gets more controlled by the country.
Charter Schools Vary by Quality
Charter schools have the flexibility to adjust their academics to improve the quality of education. However, some of them lack this important point.
When looking for a charter school, you will face several institutions that won’t fulfill your needs.
Hard Admission Process
Despite having thousands of charter schools built across the world, it can still be hard to get admission to your preferred school.
They receive thousands of application forms out of which only limited applicants get approval. As a result, it can be super hard to get admission even after waiting for months.
Do you know that these schools are often short of teachers? Yes, that’s right. Read the point below to find out.
A higher teacher turnover rate
Charter schools have a higher teacher turnover rate of more than 24% in the USA annually. In addition, it is twice the turnover rate of public schools.
You might be wondering what are the reasons behind it. Well, many students don’t like to study math or science. While charter schools focus on these subjects. Also, some pupils might not like the way of teaching and much more.
Final Words
Charter schools surely provide several perks to students and parents. Some of them are mentioned in this blog. However, at the same time, it comes with a few cons as well.
Therefore, it’s really important to understand both sides of these schools and then decide if it’s the right choice for you.
Moreover, if you are someone who loves math or science and wants flexibility, I’m sure this is the right academic path for you.
