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After
more than 10 years providing voice and choice opportunities for students
and parents of Solano County, many in our communities are still unaware of
the unique educational alternatives available to them though public
charter schools.
Charter schools are open to all, free and nonsectarian.
In 1993, California joined a national movement that established public charter schools. Charter schools provide flexibility, fiscal and academic accountability and local control.
Charters create learning and working choices for families, students, teachers and support staff with measurable performance-based outcomes outside a bureaucracy that is bogged down with local and state administrative regulations and mandates.
Charter schools introduced unprecedented accountability in public education. If charter schools do not meet their goals they can be shut down. If they are not fiscally prudent with public dollars, they can be closed, and if students do not perform, charters can be revoked.
In contrast, many public schools are rewarded with state bailouts or additional funding, despite their lack of vision or purpose, underperforming scores and fiscal irresponsibility.
Charter schools generally operate with less taxpayer money, yet produce better student achievement results compared to similar schools and demographics.
A major report released by the California Legislative Analyst's Office in January, "Assessing California's Charter Schools," follows two state-sponsored evaluations of charter schools, including last year's landmark report by the RAND Corp. The state analyst's report concluded "charter schools are a viable reform strategy - expanding families' choices, encouraging parental involvement, increasing teacher satisfaction, enhancing principals' control over school-site decision-making and broadening the curriculum."
The RAND report found on the average that start-up charters outperform conventional noncharter public schools. The RAND report follows recent studies by Hoover Institute at Stanford University in 2003 and the School of Education, California State University, Los Angles in 2002, both of which show that student achievement is improving at a greater rate then nonpublic charter schools.
Locally, Elsie P. Buckingham Charter Magnet High School, Solano County's first charter school and California's first digital charter school, is one of three charter schools in Solano County. The other charters include Vallejo's Mare Island Academy and soon-to-be-opened Montessori charter school in Dixon.
Buckingham provides a rigorous college preparatory education that offers more than 15 Advanced Placement courses within a safe, small technology integrated high school environment, uses industry standard tools, provides instruction in media-visual arts, informational technology and is the only local high school offering block scheduling. Buckingham has a state-of-the-art recording and production studio, strong parent-student-school communication all based on a foundation of excellence and accountability. Buckingham has received numerous recognitions throughout 10 years of operations and is simply a microcosm of what California charter schools can accomplish given the opportunity.
Charter schools provide systemic change and reform that help all public schools become better. Change and choice doesn't mean we throw the "educational" baby out with the bath water, but it does mean that as with any institution, reform can and should make the system better.
Those who fear change will tell you change is bad, change is a threat to our teaching, our funding, to our very existence. If we can financially, philosophically and emotionally support more than one hamburger stand on Monte Vista, surely we can support more than one educational option for our students. The consumer becomes the true winner. Educational choice is not unlike that consumer - "more is better and choice is good." Choice demands service and accountability, not just more "educational" burger stands offering the same meal deal. Charter schools can provide a safe venue for public schools to offer change and choice, accountability and achievement, autonomy yet alliance with their local educational agency, sponsoring district, County Office of Education, businesses, city government and other vested stakeholders that should service our students, parents and community with what should be the best products on the market - public schools. Those who fear this change within the public school arena should not fear charters, but other choices that will continue to provide service outside the public sector.
Today, California charter schools service close to 200,000 public education students through roughly 500 charter schools and the number is growing. John H. Johnson, publisher of Ebony Magazine states, "Most people don't really believe in success. They feel helpless before they even begin. We have the power to make it in this society and so we can't blame the system for everything. It's the fear of failure that gets in the way."
In a democracy, education becomes the great equalizer; culturally, politically and socio-economically. Public schools cannot afford to fail simply because we are afraid to change and reform. The only way public schools can fail is by fear of change. Choice is good, more is better.
OR RETURN TO:
Buckingham Charter
Magnet High School Web