Criteria for charter schools

[Florida Blue]

Do they have to be from depressed areas ? Do they have to be failed schools from the fcat tests ?

[mzteris]

1. No ,

Charters can be any type of school in any area whose state allows them.

While many charters do frequently take up the slack where traditional public schools have failed, charters can be - and are - specialized schools - from spanish immersion to arts to gifted to schools just for those who are learning differenced or mentally challenged.

A group proffers a charter to the governing authority (it differs by state) and the charter is then accepted or denied. While approximately 10% of all non-profit public school charters are managed by for-profit agencies (those same agencies also manage traditional public schools, btw), and approx another 10% are managed by NON-profit management charter companies, the rest - apprx 80% are opened and managed by local individuals comprised of teachers, parents and businessmen/women who are interested in their local communities' schooling options.

Florida is a whole nother kettle of fish. Their traditionals, their private, their religious, their charters, their vouchers - ALL are suspect. It's not whether or not they are "charter public schools" - but FLORIDA's educational policies as a whole.

Charter public schools - like traditional public schools - or private or religious - can be GOOD, bad, Great, terrible, or average, ho-hum, or indifferent. It's the governing authority and the people of the community who control whether they are good, or bad.