Charter Schools Pros and Cons List

Charter schools have been around for more twenty five years. From one charter school in 1991 to more than five thousand today, we have surely witnessed a steady and at times concerning growth of the concept. The concept of charter school was developed because there was a need but whether or not there is a need to have so many charter schools is hotly debated. There are some obvious advantages and disadvantages that have continued to divide the academia, educationists, parents and also students. Politicians have also taken divergent standpoints. There is no consensus at the moment but the pros and cons of charter schools are well established. Let us check out the merits and demerits so you can judge for yourself if charter schools are good or bad.

List of Pros of Charter Schools

1. An Alternative
Charter schools offer diverse options. It is absolutely normal for families to dislike the local schools or the public schools in a county. It is absolutely natural for families to prefer a certain kind of environment or schooling for their kids. If charter schools can cater to that need, then it is not only desirable but also necessary. In its simplest form without delving into any technicalities, charter schools provide an alternative or an option to parents and their children.

2. A Competitive Push
It has always been cited that public schools are not very competitive. Many local schools are deemed complete laggards in every facet of imparting education. Those running the small to medium public schools are often not much bothered having taken the funding of taxpayers’ money for granted. Charter schools have brought back competition in the education space. If schools have to retain more students or impress the families, especially parents, then they have to offer better quality education and an overall experience that is satiating for students and their guardians.

3. A Qualitative Improvement
As you would expect with having an alternative and healthy competition in the education sector, the quality of education imparted, the manner in which it is imparted and associated elements will undergo improvements. Charter schools have indeed had this ripple of an effect on other schools and the whole education system. The quality has certainly improved. From endorsing and implementing technology enabled teaching methods to having innovative ways of reaching out to students, schools are improving their standards.

4. Customized Education
Charter schools can cater to the needs of a few students. It doesn’t have to be a massive educational institution catering to every grade and course. It can attend to whatever the needs of the students are. Also, charter schools can decide whom to target and what kind of students they would like to impart education to. This helps in students getting the kind of education they want. There is no one approach to suit any and sundry.

List of Cons of Charter Schools

1. Financial Limitations
The money raised from taxpayers and the budgets allocated for education, right from primary schooling to subsidizing higher education, is not changing much but the increasing demand of money due to more charter schools is capping the available financial resources for the traditional schools. Public schools have never been excessively funded. With charter schools gaining more traction, public schools are being ignored. It is true that many traditional schools have shortage of funds and many more will have the same problem in time to come. The government is being compelled to choose between two types of schooling programs wherein both are essentially catering to the same purpose. There is bound to be some incongruence and inconsistence in the policy and budget allocation.

2. Unfair and Unequal Realm
Many people have complained against the preferential approaches and specific policies of charter schools. Public schools or the traditional schools are not allowed to pick and choose. Charter schools can indulge in cherry picking. They can decide to target students of a certain profile, families hailing from certain backgrounds, people residing in certain areas and also put different kinds of eligibility criteria based on intelligence, financial factors and other elements. Education or imparting of education is supposed to be nondiscriminatory. Everyone has the right to education. Charter schools can tweak that right and yet remain legally untouched.

3. Perceived Mistrust & Lack of Transparency
Charter schools are funded by the money of the taxpayers and yet they are not answerable to the taxpayers. This is a rather quaint scenario. One cannot really say that charter schools are not responsible or accountable and that they cannot be trusted but there is certainly a lack of transparency. There is a deficit of trust among the ordinary citizens who feel unfairly treated by charter schools.

4. Lack of Diversity
Since charter schools can cherry pick and they don’t have to answer to the general public, they can do as they please and that often leads to a homogenous mix of students. There is reduced diversity in charter schools.