First, I have nothing against charter schools. There are some crappy public schools out there and if there are people who believe they can offer a better product to kids, more power to them.
There is a public charter school in my city that I've always heard about. I've heard some positive things and I've heard some negative things. The positives are all things that you want to hear about a school. The kids are improving tremendously academically; kids are passing the state competency tests, grades are up, kids are succeeding overall.
Unfortunately, all of the negative things that I had heard were there for me to witness. Kids have to wear uniforms, and the kids who have been disciplined either have to wear a plain t-shirt instead of the standard colored polo, or they wear an off-colored t-shirt. The kids who wear the white t-shirts only screwed up a little bit, they are still generally accepted by their classmates. The ones who wear the off-color t-shirts are basically ostracized. The younger grades have a morning meeting, where they have announcements and acknowledgements. The acknowledgement part is pretty cool, because it's important to recognize these kids and show them that education is a big deal and success is something to be praised. At this meeting, all the kids stand in a big circle, while the only kids who aren't in the circle are those wearing the off-color t-shirts. To me, it sent a message of "You don't belong." I'm all for discipline, but I thought it was a little bit harsh. They already stick out because they aren't wearing the standard uniform (which reminds me about a story about a military academy and cadets who had to wear one glove, but that story's for another time.) I just don't see a need for them to exist outside the circle. I thought a feeling of belonging is what we want in school.
From all the hoopla that I heard from people about the school, once I learned what they did I wasn't surprised. There's nothing magical about what they do. They have a low teacher-student ratio, administration deals with discipline so that it doesn't take away from instruction time, there is school culture that has high expectations for its students, everyone on the faculty is hired because they have a belief that all children can achieve. Once I learned this, my first thought was, "Duh?! That's how school is supposed to be. You mean the difference is that people believe that children can learn. I always knew that was the difference."
I'm not belittling what they do. They do extraordinary work. In fact, it's so ordinary in a way, I was expecting something bizarre. I was expecting to hear that they go home with the children and help them with homework each night or that the children are forced to folow a strict diet that enhances ability and motivation. You know, something bizarre.
One thing of note, this school hasn't been able to improve upon getting parents involved. This worries me, because one of the things I would like to work on as a school psychologist is getting more parents to become involved in their children's education.
In order to understand the lack of participation from parents, one must understand the dynamics within their situations. Some parents aren't comfortable with the educational process because school wasn't a good experience for them. If you grew up within the same awful school system; a system that made you feel dumb, a system that made you hate going to school, and a system that failed to prepare you for a job that would sustain you and your family, you would be a little wary. Also a lot of people in the lower and working class do not have the luxury of working 9-5. Many people are working odd hours, two and sometimes three jobs, and there is little time left to help with homework. Some of these parents are also going back to school for GEDs and college degrees to better themselves and their situation. I'm not trying to make excuses, this is the reality that many families are experiencing. On the other hand, some parents just don't care. They're neglectful and couldn't care less about their child's well-being and future. I once posed a question to someone. "If the school system gave parents an option of providing an education but parents would have to be involved, or daycare and supervision but no educational substance, how many would choose the latter?" This person was afraid to answer. I dare not offer a guess, but it is something I wonder about. Sometimes the apathy is too much to comprehend.
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