Charter Schools?

[AtomicCEO]

We're looking at kindergartens for next year for my son, and we've got a pretty good local public school and 2 local charter schools we are looking at.

 

I'm leaning toward the charter schools because I was thinking they have smaller class sizes, more independent study work, and more individually tailored leaning. Am I thinking of the wrong stuff?

 

He's showing an aptitude for math like some folks in my family have and I'd like to encourage it in any way I can.

[Brentastic]

We're looking at kindergartens for next year for my son, and we've got a pretty good local public school and 2 local charter schools we are looking at.

 

I'm leaning toward the charter schools because I was thinking they have smaller class sizes, more independent study work, and more individually tailored leaning. Am I thinking of the wrong stuff?

 

He's showing an aptitude for math like some folks in my family have and I'd like to encourage it in any way I can.

So you're son is a mathelete?

[Azazello1313]

as far as the "regular" versus charter thing, I am sure it depends enormously on the actual schools in question. just do your research and I'm sure one of them will most appeal to you.

 

but I'd think long and hard about pushing him forward a year, one couple we're close to did that this year with their son and they sort of regretted it almost immediately. they are putting him back in kindergarten next year. your kid may be there academically, but the physical part is just as important early on, and the younger, smaller kids tend to be and feel bullied.

[Jackass]

You might be interested in this article..

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/education/02charters.html

[MikesVikes]

My wife worked at a Charter school and there are advantages and disadvantages of it.

 

Advantages are that they are usually not committed to all the state mandates that public schools are. They strive to do things differently.

 

Disadvantages are that many of the kids that enroll at charter schools have had problems or issues with public schools. The student population can be an issue at times.

[cre8tiff]

In STL, we didn't have a good experience with our charter school. We homeschooled through the fourth (my youngest daughter) and sixth grade (My oldest daughter). Then we moved to a suburb that had better schools.

 

Funny thing, we used Miquon math to home school with, and years later, my daughter was in calculus class and suddenly realized what they were going over, she had done in the fourth grade! Yeah, she's the engineer in the family...

[AtomicCEO]

but I'd think long and hard about pushing him forward a year, one couple we're close to did that this year with their son and they sort of regretted it almost immediately. they are putting him back in kindergarten next year. your kid may be there academically, but the physical part is just as important early on, and the younger, smaller kids tend to be and feel bullied.

 

So they want to put him in a kindergarten class now, but then he'd move into a different kindergarten program for public school. I didn't want him to be overly bored that year... so I was looking for something that was kinda kindergarten and a half, but not push him forward a grade at this point.

 

So I've been getting mixed reviews. I was hoping it was more like a private school, but what it really sounds like is a place where paranoid and overly protective parents get to be pushy and annoying in a smaller fishbowl. I'll check it out, though. Their test scores are noticeably higher than the regular public schools around my house.

[Gonkis]

We had good results from a local Co-op school. Small class size and my wife and I got to be the classroom helper every few weeks. However, the owner/teacher was really good.

[Jimmy Neutron]

Charter schools can have a lot to offer, but some offer pitfalls too. If you want to put him on a course for mathematics - just be sure to put him on a school with a focus on math and science. Some of the charter schools we looked at do only enough to to meet the state minimum requirements in core areas - others really focus math/science or other disciplines.

[driveby]

See this is what's so great about you.

You don't even realize that Charter Schools are public schools.

Pretty interesting information here.

 

Summit is an independent non-profit educational corporation,

 

Students at Summit are placed in their English, Math, and World Language classes based on objective assessments, not based on their age.

 

We do not require that teachers hold a public school teaching certificate. We do require that teachers be experts in their subjects.

 

I tended to think of most charter schools as private or at best semi-public entities due to the funding differences and some independence from state mandates, at least here in Texas.

 

Funding – A very popular claim is that charters drain funds from public schools in spite of the fact that charter schools are public schools authorized by the State Board of Education (SBOE). These schools must comply with the same accountability standards of every other public school. In terms of dollars, charters receive approximately $1200 less per student than their traditional school counterparts in Texas. Unlike neighborhood school districts, they have no ability to raise revenue through local property taxes and are limited in how they can fund and finance school construction.

 

Texas Charter Schools Association

[Perchoutofwater]

See this is what's so great about you.

You don't even realize that Charter Schools are public schools.

 

But the good news is that you've called me a liberal twice in a thread that has nothing to do with politics, because you're a big fat lollipop sucking trust fund teabagger with nothing better to do all day.

 

In your original post you differentiated between the two. Like driveby said usually (at least here) charter schools are not public schools.

[MikesVikes]

it's more on topic than the political 'discussion', so maybe Atomic won't mind...

 

what about Montessori Charter schools? The idea with them is that kids are grouped in three-year age ranges (eg. 5-8) so that the older kids learn but are also responsible for teaching the younger kids too.

 

In small towns, they had country schools that did this about 40 years ago. You walk to a one room bldg, uphill both ways of course, and everyone there learns from the one school teacher that they have. And you hope that Nellie Olson doesn't pick on you if you're Laura Ingalls.

 

...and I thought that I was lucky that I missed out on all that fun.

 

I was also found out that I was wrong about a thing or two about charter schools when I asked my wife. She says that they can't do whatever they want, that they have to strictly follow the charter that they have when the school began. So they are just as structured as a typical public school. It sounded similar to a manager of a mutual fund. They can't put all the money into aggressive stocks if they are managing a bond fund. So Charter schools can't decide to do things differently a few years later based on changing student populations.

Edited May 6, 2010 by MikesVikes

[TimC]

Public schools lead to a public college. No one wants a public college education. You might as well put your kid in a steel mill or coal mine right now rather than public schools at any level. Unless you don't love your children.

[Donutrun Jellies]

We're looking at kindergartens for next year for my son, and we've got a pretty good local public school and 2 local charter schools we are looking at.

Both muchkins went to public schools throughout k-12 and both thrived -- one found a right brained path, the other a left brained path. Love your kids, pay attention to their learning, and get involved in their schools and it won't matter if the school is "charter" or "private" or "Catholic" or "Elite" or just your own local community's public school.

[AtomicCEO]

Both muchkins went to public schools throughout k-12 and both thrived -- one found a right brained path, the other a left brained path. Love your kids, pay attention to their learning, and get involved in their schools and it won't matter if the school is "charter" or "private" or "Catholic" or "Elite" or just your own local community's public school.

 

The more we learn about the non-charter public school, the more impressed we are. They do a lot of cool stuff and have more resources (library, gym, TAG programs, after school activities). We'll still investigate everything, but we live in a good county for schools.

[Clubfoothead]

Our local elementary school is a blue ribbon school. Things take a dive at the jr. high and beyond level. Here in Dallas, there is a public option called Magnet Schools. I know rich people who have passed on St. Marks to send their kids to these magnet schools. There's a tough admission process. They have magnet high schools, magnet middle schools and magnet elemetary schools.

 

My parents believed me to be some f*cking kind of prodigy when I was younger. I even got sent away to some summer camp for 8 year olds at Johns Hopkins. For me the result was burn-out by 9th grade (the beer, drugs and girls were also a significant factor but I was also burnt out). I had great parents but the one thing I promised myself was to take it easy while they are young. Make sure they have a solid foundation and a desire to learn but the ability to enjoy spending the summer after 2nd grade playing with their friends not studying who knows what at Johns Hopkins

 

We will apply for the magnet schools are the elementary schools draw to an end. If they don't make it, I'm going to need to decide if going back to church is worth the $1,000.00 a year off the price of a Bishop Lynch education.

 

Good luck. Research you neighborhood elementary school. If you don't like it, charter school. You can always start him in the local elementary and transfer him out to charter if the school doesn't meet your expectations.

Edited May 8, 2010 by Clubfoothead

[AtomicCEO]

My parents believed me to be some f*cking kind of prodigy when I was younger. I even got sent away to some summer camp for 8 year olds at Johns Hopkins.

 

I got tested at one point and the school recommended that I go to those summer things at John Hopkins. We got those brochures all the time.

 

But my parents decided not to send me. Instead they used the evaluation saying I was 'gifted but undermotivated' to accuse me of laziness my whole life. Seriously... my dad even mentioned it this week on facebook. I'd like to go the other way with my kids. I'll probably overcompensate and make them hate me.

[Clubfoothead]

I got tested at one point and the school recommended that I go to those summer things at John Hopkins. We got those brochures all the time.

 

But my parents decided not to send me. Instead they used the evaluation saying I was 'gifted but undermotivated' to accuse me of laziness my whole life. Seriously... my dad even mentioned it this week on facebook. I'd like to go the other way with my kids. I'll probably overcompensate and make them hate me.

 

We almost met in the early 1980s.

 

We have similar fathers. My dad pronounces our last name with a long O, I pronounce it with a short O. My father has spent the last 28 years pointing out I'm so lazy I can't even use a long O to pronounce my name properly.

 

You are involved, it will turn out fine. Good luck.

[Gonkis]

We have similar fathers. My dad pronounces our last name with a long O, I pronounce it with a short O. My father has spent the last 28 years pointing out I'm so lazy I can't even use a long O to pronounce my name properly.

 

 

[Gonkis]

Club-foat-head vs club-fot-head

[AtomicCEO]

We almost met in the early 1980s.

 

Early 80s? Holy crap are you old. No, I would have been there around 86-90.

 

What was it like before electricity?

[Big John]

Early 80s? Holy crap are you old.

As in 3 years older than you.