Charter Schools - Argumentative Essay

Charter Schools

Anxiety, doubt, and uncertainty are customarily the state of mind of optimistic mothers and fathers, and students that wait to hear their name to be called in the lottery pick for admission into a charter school. These schools are very high in demand and usually receive more applicants than the number of students allowed in the school. Charter schools are educational institutions that receive public funding, just like public schools, but are separate from the state or local rules and regulations (Wikipedia.com). In return for funding and aid, these schools must meet strict and rigorous standards constructed specifically for charter schools. The school must meet these specifications and produce admirable students for continuation of financial support. A school is reviewed periodically each three to five years on administration and core curriculum to determine if they are operating properly (U.S. Department of Education 2000). This type of schools is endorsed by the government in numerous states. In fact, as of November 2010, charter schools operate in 40 states and the District of Columbia ("What are"). As a result, there are many public schools in dire need of reform and charter schools may be the answer. In poor performing and underprivileged schools, charter schools ought to replace those schools should be shut down, giving students to finally get a chance to a quality education.

Ever since the signing of the Charter School Expansion Act of 1998 by President Clinton, charter schools have provided an alternative system of education for parents who desire better circumstances for their children to learn in more suitable environments. This passed bill provided one hundred million dollars to fund charter schools for 1999("Charter School"). Today, many public schools are inadequate learning institutions for children to acquire knowledge from. Numerous schools, most are located in poor neighborhoods, have understaffed faculty, deteriorating buildings, insufficient number of books, and lack of resources. In return, students do not receive the proper education that they should be attaining. In actual fact, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores tell part of the story: they fell from 978 to 890 between 1963 and 1980(Boaz, David and Barett, R. Morris, "The Real Cost of Private Schools," Cato.org). A substitute for public schools are charter schools. A majority of charter schools provide exceptional environments in which children can learn appropriately. They require higher standards from students and push their boundaries to reach their full potential. A study was completed and it found that on average, nationally, students in 17 percent of charter schools performed significantly better than if they had attended their neighborhood traditional public school (Jim Hull, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Public Education). Also, multiple accounts of students acknowledge