Inside Charter Schools: Series Preview

Charter schools can be a controversial topic among both educators and political leaders.

Charter schools have been around since 1991 and the very first charter school in the country was started here in Minnesota. One expert, who helped write the charter school law, supports school choice. He says there are certain characteristics every charter school has.

“Charters have certain key characteristics,” says Joe Nathan the director of the Center for School Change. “First, they are public. Secondly, they are open to all. Third, they can have no admissions test. Just like you have people watching your guys here [at CCX Media], they are looking for something different. Charters appeal to someone who is looking for a different kind of education.”

A local teacher’s union representative, who stands on the opposite side of the issue, says he feels that charter schools under serve certain students.

“When I look at charter schools, very few of our charter schools actually operate in a manner where they are servicing our special education students,” says Peter Eckhoff, president of Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers. “Often times what we get is concentrated populations in a charter school that might be a certain demographics or ethnicity. “