EDN 528 Online Assignment

Charter Schools and Magnet Schools

Charter Schools

Below you will find several articles relating to charter schools. The first link provides general information. The second one gives a ten-year review of the achievements of charter schools.

The next two links focus on charter schools in North Carolina, one providing the ABC results for the previous year and the other the NC Charter School Evaluation Report. The main information is included in the first 16 pages – The Synthesis Report.

The final link looks at Charter schools in Dayton, Ohio and their impact on the public schools.

Overview of Charter Schools:

http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/issuespage.cfm?id=42

http://www.asbj.com/2002/11/1102coverstory.html

Charter Schools in NC:

http://abcs.ncpublicschools.org/abcs/abcVol1List.jsp?pYear=2004-2005&pList=5&pListVal=12&GO=GO

Evaluation Report: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/accountability/evaluation/charter/evalreport.pdf

Impact of Charter Schools on regular Public schools:

Other sites of Interest:

Charter High Schools:

http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_city/20020818charter4.asp

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/report/news/september5/charter-95.html

9 Charter High Schools 2002 – Edvisions Minnesota

Local Charter Schools:

Cape Fear Center for Inquiry, New Hanover Co, K-8: http://www.cfci.net/

Charter Day School, Leland, K-6: http://www.rogerbacon.net/

Assignment Part A:

To help answer the big question of should we support charter schools, there are four questions listed below. Write your answer to these questions and email them to me.

Should we support charter schools?

1. How does student performance at charter schools compare to that of traditional public schools?

2. One of the main reasons for the establishment of charter schools was to provide opportunities for new or innovative practices to emerge. Have charter schools succeeded in this area?

3. Charter schools were expected to provide a stimulus to improve public schools? Have charter schools, either through competition or through innovations being more widely adopted, had a positive effect on public schools?

4. Should states assume more responsibility in helping charter schools with acquiring facilities i.e. space in which to operate?

Magnet Schools:

Recent example of Magnet Schools in Durham, NC

Reading on Magnet Schools Click here

Assignment Part B:

Go to Seaport and post your thoughts re the two questions below – one relating to charter schools and one to magnet schools. Reply to one other student’s comments on one of the questions. (The questions are repeated on Seaport)

Questions

· Irrespective of whether they provide a stimulus or whether they’ve resulted in new practices, should we support charter schools because they provide parents with choice?

· Do magnet schools provide a viable alternative in meeting the two goals of parental choice and racial balance?