Thesis: Charters are innovative, creative and have positive academic rewards upon students
I. Introduction
A. In 1988, Ray Budde felt that something needed to be done to improve the public education system in the United States
B. This idea took hold when the American Federation of Teachers adopted the idea and set up the first “Charter Schools” in Minnesota in 1991
C. Thesis: Charters are innovative, creative and have positive academic rewards upon students
II. What is a Charter School
A. Definition
1. A publicly funded independent school established by teachers, parents, or community groups under the terms of a charter with a local or national authority.
B. Charter Schools were essential created to allow a school to operate without the regulations of traditional public schools.
C. From 1999-2000 to 2010-11, the number of students enrolled in public charter schools increased from 0.3 million to 1.8 million students.
1. The percentage of charter schools with enrollments under 300 students decreased from 77 percent in 1999-2000 to 59 percent in 2010-11.
2. In 2010-11, California enrolled the most students in charter schools (364,000), and the District of Columbia enrolled the highest percentage of public school students in charter schools (38 percent), representing 27,000 students.
a. Charter schools legislation had been passed in 41 states and the District of Columbia.
3. Dozens of Charter schools across the country have a 100% acceptance rate to college
III. History Of Charter Schools
A. The concept of charter schools was promoted by Albert Shanker and the American Federation of Teachers in New York City in the late 1980s and early 1990s
B. They were originally conceived as teacher-run schools that would serve students struggling inside the traditional system and would operate outside the reach of the administrative bureaucracy and the highly politicized big city school board.
C. Charters continued to grow slowly, and beginning with Minnesota in 1991, states began to pass laws to promote the formation of charters.
D. They have to write a charter, which list the goals of the school. If the needs are not met the charter school has to close.
IV. Why they work
A. Children who attend charter schools are more likely to graduate from high school than their traditional school peers. And dozens of charter schools across the country have 100 percent college acceptance rates for their graduating seniors.
B. They are independent so the teachers have the freedom to teach in a way that each student can fully comprehend the material.
C. Charters have more flexibility than traditional public schools in exchange for being held to additional standards to make sure they are meeting their student goals
D. “Charters succeed because of their two defining characteristics—accountability and freedom.” ( Kenny)
E. The teachers can give individual attention to students and help them in the area the most need.
V. Advantages
A. They have the independence of using their own ways of teaching
1. Teachers can make the curriculum to fit the needs of the student
B. They have great accountability
1. Charter schools must attract students to succeed. If they do not attract sufficient numbers of students, they will close for financial reasons or their charter can be taken away.
C. Increased Innovation.
1. Charter schools have the independence to try new forms of teaching and experiment with the best way to reach their students.
D. Private Resources.
1. Many charter schools have succeeded in attracting considerable generous gifts to support richer programs.
E. Free Tuition
1. All Charter schools are free.
F. Fewer Students
1. Teacher give individual attention to each student
2. No one gets left behide
VI. Disadvantages
A. Fewer Resources.
1. Few charter schools receive money to pay for start-up costs. Charter schools may have poor facilities and classroom resources.
B. Finances
1. Many Charter schools don’t work because they don’t have
