Charter school

Charter school

Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...

s in North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

are public schools operating under a different set of rules than the typical state-run schools. Though they are exempt from many requirements, charter schools are required to administer the state's battery of standardized tests.

History

North Carolina Charter schools were established by North Carolina House Bill 955 in 1996, also known as the Charter School Act. Charter schools were established in an effort to improve the academic chances and performance of those that were at-risk and those that were academically gifted, but all students eligible for public school are eligible to apply to a charter school. The Act allowed an organization or person could apply to start a charter school. The schools that are approve will be state funded but managed by a community board instead of a school board. there is a state cap of 100 charter schools total, but the new Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 majority in the North Carolina General Assembly

North Carolina General Assembly

The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...

 has started a movement to lift the cap.

In January, 2011, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ranked North Carolina's charter school law 32 out of 41 states with charter school laws, with poor marks for accountability, equity of funding, and the low cap of 100 schools in the state.

Differences between Public and Charter Schools

Charter schools are:

• not required to provide transportation for students.
• not required to provide breakfast or lunch for students.
• allowed to serve students from other counties.
• allowed to stray from the traditional 180-day school calendar.
• allowed to have non-certified teachers.
• allowed to employ teachers on short-term contracts.