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*Unethicality
*According to Heaggans (2006), a Dept. of Education national study of charter schools found that in 1998- 1999 they enrolled
a much larger percentage of African American students (27% vs. 17%) than all public schools in the 27 states with open charter
schools.
*Rhim, Ahearn, and Lange (2007), say that a national study of special ed. in charter schools show that they regularly
discourage students with disabilities from going there because of the focus of the curriculum or instruction and the childs
educational needs.
*Also, interviews revealed that special ed. is usually an afterthought in the development of charter schools, and most
of these schools stick the kids in inclusive classrooms.
*While all charter schools are required to abide by Section 504, only two states specifically mention this federal statute
in their charter school law.
*Does it Benefit the Students?
*According to Silverman (2005),Students attending charter schools in seven states are scoring almost the same on tests
as their counterparts in public schools, according to a study by Arizona State University.
*According to Swinehart (2005),The National Assessment of Educational Progress conducted in 2003 found that charter school
students had lower achievement than their public school counterparts translating into about a half year of schooling.Test
scores remained lower even after the NAEP adjusted for the higher enrollment rate of minority students.
*Where state law permits, charter schools are exempt from requiring teacher certifications. Only 9% of public school
teachers are working w/out certification, while 43% of charter school teachers aren't certified.
*Although 43% of charter school children are eligible for lunch subsidies, only 4.5% of these schools receive Title I
federal funding to support such programs. Also, only 11% of charter schools use IEPS for kids who qualify for special ed.
*It Costs Too Much
*According to Heaggans (2006), money for the charter schools come from the public schools through 3 ways: 1. the public
school draws a check to the charter, 2. the state forwards a proportion of what the public would've received to the charter,
or 3. the states discretionary resources that could've been used to improve the public schools are budgeted for charter schools.
*Berstein (2004) said that public schools wind up with fewer dollars to improve the education of their students. Such
reduced funding will likely lead to poorer academic results.
*Is it Fair?
*Metcalf, Theobald, and Gonzalez say that unlike public schools, charter schools will have the flexibility to develop
unique programs in order to attract students, whereas public schools are restricted in the range and type of programs they
can offer.
*Opponents also argue that charter schools may actively discourage the inclusion of low-achieving students or students
with special needs. Still another concern is that charter schools may implicitly or explicitly discriminate against minorities
or poor children, thus resulting in increased racial, ethnic, and social segregation.
*Would it Burden Parents?
*According to Heaggans (2006),Parents of children at-risk charter schools have less education, are less likely to be
white, and have lower family incomes.
*If the parents of at-risk students in charter schools collectively have low incomes, then they may be limited in how
they contribute to the school in comparison of parents in the public school who are from various socioeconomic groups.
*As one parent explained,there are parents who don't have the time to study the issues because economically sometimes
its more important to bring home money than attend a meeting.
*Teachers?
*Swinehart (2005) says that barring of collective bargaining agreements, no contracts, and unsatisfactory pay could be
to blame for the disproportionate amount of unaccredited and inexperienced teachers in charter schools.
*Students?
*Swinehart (2005) also says that children reared in this type of environment are likely to arrive at adulthood with a
very narrow view of the world. Public education was originally prized for exposing students to diverse individuals and opinions,
thus challenging their preconceived notions of reality. However, theme charter schools, organized around a particular idea,
fail to expose students to a balanced view of the world.
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