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Charter schools
Charter schools receive public funds but are not run by the city’s Department of Education. They may be started by any community resident, including parents, teachers, or community leaders, and they must receive approval from a chartering entity before they actually become a school. In New York City, there are three chartering entities: the state university system, the state Board of Regents, and the city schools chancellor. All charter schools are subject to the requirements of the 1998 New York State Charter Schools Act, which set a limit of 100 schools statewide. In April of 2007, this cap was raised to 200 charter schools statewide, and 50 of the new charters are reserved for New York City. Those new charters will open starting in the fall of 2008. For information on the law's changes and the new charter school application procedures, visit the SUNY Charter Schools Institute website. Charter schools receive significant flexibility in budgeting and personnel decisions, and they are accountable only for state requirements, not those of the DOE. Most of the differences affect the school’s administration more than the daily life of students, but schools are also free to select their own curriculum, rather than accepting the one mandated by the city, and they may also follow a schedule that is different from that of the regular public schools. Many charter schools have school days and years that are longer than those of the regular public schools. Who may attend? All charter schools are open to all city residents (and some are open to students statewide). Admission is by lottery. However, according to a 2007 revision of the state law, as of July 2007 all charter schools are required to give preference in admissions to applicants from the community school district where the school is located. After students living in the district have been given seats, schools will select students randomly from the lottery. Schools may not consider other criteria such as test scores, attendance, economic class, or race. The only exceptions to the rules governing admission come if a school is expressly set up to be a single-sex school or to serve only at-risk students. Charter schools may also give priority to siblings of currently enrolled students. Charter schools may not exclude students who need special education or English as a Second Language services. Who should go to a charter school? Charter schools can be a good option for organized and motivated families who want to leave a struggling neighborhood school or a school that is otherwise not meeting their child’s needs. Parents who like to be involved will usually find that charter schools welcome their involvement. Charter schools can also be a good option for students who have not been successful in traditional public schools, perhaps because they need more structure to their day, a smaller setting, or a more intensive academic program. How to pick a charter school Charter schools have distinct characters and vary widely in philosophy. Some schools are quite progressive, with students serving on school governance committees as at Renaissance Charter School in Queens, while others, such as the Achievement First schools, favor a back-to-basics approach to instruction. It’s the job of parents to select schools that are a good match for their children. You can use our Find a school feature to locate charter schools and links to individual schools’ websites. [See the pulldown for "charters."] Your best bet is to start by visiting the websites of the schools you are interested in, and then visit the schools you are considering. Insideschools’ checklist for evaluating schools will be useful when you visit charter schools. The SUNY Charter Schools Institute also offers a checklist of questions to ask charter school leaders before enrolling. You can find more information online which will help you evaluate a charter school. The New York City Center for Charter School Excellence posts the schools' results on state tests and the New York State Education Department maintains detailed information about each school's demographics and test results, including annual report cards. The SUNY Charter Schools Institute also compiles detailed analysis of its schools' test results, including comparisons to the districts in which each school is located. How to enroll Charter schools are required to admit students by lottery if there are more applicants than spaces, which is almost always the case in New York City. State law requires schools to consider all applications received by April 1, and so lotteries are generally held in early April. You should contact the schools that interest you well in advance to get the application. Most schools maintain waiting lists, and charter school leaders say it is sometimes possible to get a seat in a charter school during the school year if a student leaves the school and no one is willing to come off the waitlist midyear -- so it’s worth being persistent even if you aren’t selected in the lottery. Once you've enrolled Transportation: Students in charter schools in New York City are entitled to the same transportation services as students in regular public schools. Remember that bus service is never provided across borough lines, and bus routes are limited to five miles from the school. The school is required to coordinate with the Office of Pupil Transportation to set up transportation. Standardized testing: Students in charter schools are required to take all state tests. Students in charter high schools must pass at least the five Regents exams required of all public school students. ESL and special education: The proportion of special education and English as a Second Language students in charter schools is rising, but it is still lower than in regular public schools. One reason for this might be that charter schools are frequently less equipped to handle the special needs of disabled students and students who do not speak English fluently. Like all other publicly funded schools, charter schools are required to accommodate students who need ESL or special education. They may hire their own staff to provide these services, or they may contract outside organizations to work with their students, a more common setup when a school has few students with special needs. Some charter schools do an excellent job accommodating these students, and in fact a few schools expressly cater to students with special needs or strive to offer an inclusive environment. Others, however, do not seem to make this a priority, especially because they must independently devise relationships and systems that are already in place in the public schools. Some families have complained that their charter schools have counseled their children with special needs to find another school. This is not legal, but as with many decisions made in charter schools, taking recourse can be difficult. Where to get help: Getting help when you feel you’ve exhausted the resources in your school can be the trickiest part of being a charter school parent or student. All charter schools must include grievance procedures in their charter, and once they are open, schools must follow those procedures. Most schools have complaints procedures that begin within the school, with parents bringing grievances to the classroom teacher and principal, and then move to the Board of Trustees that oversees the school. If you feel that your school has violated either the charter school law or its own charter, a more formal grievance procedure is available to you. Regardless of what officials at your school tell you, in this case, you can go straight to the Board of Trustees with your complaint if you wish to. The law requires the school to respond promptly and in writing to your complaints. If you feel the Board of Trustees did not adequately address your concern, you can also appeal to the entity that chartered your school, and also to the State Board of Regents (which is also a chartering entity). For more information about this appeals process, the SUNY Charter Schools Institute offers a thorough summary. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to obtain a copy of schools’ charters, which are not available online. The New York City Center for Charter School Excellence has on hand copies of charters for about half of the schools, but there is a significant lag time before charters for new schools make it there. Otherwise, you can go directly to the school or to the chartering entity. It’s a good idea to know what you’re looking for, because charters run about 500 pages. Another complication is that while a school’s Board of Trustees is expected to judge complaints from parents fairly, it is charged with making sure the school is financially viable. These responsibilities could conceivably cause a conflict of interest. To protect yourself, you should be persistent, know your rights, and keep written records of all of your dealings with the Board of Trustees, in the event that you choose to appeal to your school’s chartering entity. Another resource for parents, especially those experiencing difficulty with accessing ESL or special education services, is the Advocates for Childrens' hotline: 1-866-427-6033 (Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m to 4 p.m.). In addition, parent may call the Department of Education's Office of Charter Schools at 212-374-5419. Working at a charter school If you’re considering a job at a charter school, it’s important to consider the pros and cons of working in a less regulated school setting. Charter schools are smaller and often have a more cohesive philosophy than many public schools. They can be a highly rewarding place to work for teachers who are dedicated to seeing their students improve and who want to be a part of a close-knit team of colleagues. Charter schools are also free to hire teachers who are not certified to teach in public schools as long as they have significant teaching or professional experience, so they can be a good entrance point for teachers with experience in private schools to begin a move into public schools. On the other hand, teachers at most charter schools are not required to be members of the United Federation of Teachers, the public schools’ teachers union (except at conversion schools, or charter schools that began as public schools and elected to convert to charter schools). This means that the work hours, pay schedule, and job protections guaranteed in the UFT contract are not guaranteed to charter school teachers. Some schools, such as those actually started by the UFT, choose to honor the contract, but frequently charter school teachers end up working more hours for the same, or even less, pay than their counterparts in regular public schools. Furthermore, all employees at charter schools are “at-will” employees, meaning that administrators can terminate employment at any time without giving a reason. For more information:
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