Pupils, parents, principals, and politicians all want the best for the rising generation. The right to the pursuit of happiness is one of the most fundamental principles held by nearly all Americans. In our quest for satisfaction our education plays a considerable role. Our education largely determines which occupations we will be capable of attaining, the type of people we will be associating with, our income, and to a large measure our future happiness in life. In a mission to prepare students to enter the competitive workforce and give back to their community, the charter school initiative was born. Because the charter schools have been so successful, more charter schools should be initiated and more funding should be given to existing charter schools.
The Utah State Office of Education (USOE) compares charter schools to typical high schools and shows the benefits of charter schools over traditional education, “Students may choose to attend charter schools that focus on a specific style of learning and/or curriculum,” (Utah State Office Of Education). By allowing emphasis in an area of learning, educators assist in training excellent future employees and business leaders by giving an early immersion to their area of pursuit.
Unlike private schools, charter schools may not present any requirements of entrance. If the number of entering students exceeds the capacity of the school then accepted students are chosen at random from the available applicants (Utah State Office Of Education, 1).
In an analysis preparedly the Office of Educational Research and Development it was discovered that over 70 percent of charter schools do not have the capacity to accept all applicants that request admission. It was also discovered through various focus groups of parents and students that students were dissatisfied with their previous experiences at other public schools (Office of Educational Research and Development, 12 ). Such findings are not unexpected. The experience in the traditional public school system has been dilluted from an academic journey to a meer social event. Anyone who doubts this assertion can consider the following question. If their own child were to be taken out of a public high school setting and set into a home school environment what would be their first concern? Would their concern be greater for the child's educational foundation or for their child's social and emotional wellbeing? As California Judge Janice Rogers Brown put it, “The public school system is already so beleaguered by bureaucracy; so cowed by the demands of due process; so overwhelmed with faddish curricula that its educational purpose is almost an afterthought.”
Charter schools offer the opportunity to rescue students from the flaws of a traditional high school education and expand each student's potential by providing several different advantages. Firstly, they offer a more focused curriculum. By offering this, students can choose what area of education they would like to specialize and pursue it in a more rigorous manner. Secondly, charter schools provide smaller class sizes in compared to public schools. According to a survey published by the Center for the School of the Future class size was one of the leading factors in the parent's decision to enroll their children in a charter school. The same survey reports that parents viewed the quality of teachers better in charter schools than in regular high schools (Rodgers, Taylor and West).
“[In No Child Left Behind (NCLB)], charter schools are seen as providing options for parents whose children are attending "under performing" schools. In addition, they are seen as a method of creating opportunities for parents, educators and community leaders to create schools outside of the existing establishment. Monetarily, NCLB provides $200 million in federal funds for states and local communities to fund charter schools and $100 million to be used for charter school facilities,” (Rodgers, Taylor and West, 10). While this is a good financial start for charter schools there is need for much more funding. $300 million dollars is a meager amount of funding for a project of this magnitude. The National Study of Charter Schools lists lack of start-up funds as a leading limitation to charter schools (Office of Educational Research and Development , 14).
The remarkable outcome even in the midst of the lack of funding is the basis for my proposal. If charter schools are capable of such successful education with funding limitations imagine what their abilities will be without the limitations of financial resources. If education really is a priority to the politicians they should enact legislation to more adequately fund charter schools.
As a student of a charter school I have felt the difference between the type of education received in an advanced setting and the education received in a regular high school. At the charter school I attend the class sizes are typically small, the teachers are knowledgeable about their subjects, and the focus is aimed on learning instead on the social aspects school. I have been in student government positions and have worked closely with the administration of my school. I have seen the problems that the lack of funding has caused.
Charter schools are public education's last stand. If the legislation I am proposing is adopted there could be hope for the public education system in America. If reforms are not made soon, however, I fear the worst for this country. Traditional education does not prepare students well enough and as John Adams once said, “Laws for the liberal education of youth, especially for the lower classes of people, are so extremely wise and useful that to a humane and generous mind, no expense for this purpose would be thought extravagant.” If the next generation of American youth is to thrive then nothing can be spared to aid them in their pursuit of knowledge. We must release minds from the shackles placed upon them in traditional public education. Students must not only be taught what to think but how to think. All of these goals are better met in a charter school setting. It is time for the politicians to put their money where their campaign speeches are and fix our schools. The consequences of inaction are appalling but the rewards of the correction needed are great.
