Task Force On State Funding For the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School
The first organizational meeting of the Task Force On State Funding For the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School will be September 29, 2009 at the Department of Education, 101 Pleasant Street, Concord, State Board Room at 9:00 a.m. (Chapter 144:154 Laws of 2009)
Charter School Program Review
The Department of Education contracted with Class Measures Inc. to conduct an independent review of the New Hampshire Charter School Program. The purpose of the review was to evaluate the current charter school program and its implementation in New Hampshire, thereby providing legislators, administrators, parents, and community with a “snapshot” of the history and current status of the charter school program. The information generated by this review is intended to allow the New Hampshire community to make more informed decisions regarding the educational choices provided to New Hampshire students.
Charter
schools are public schools. They operate with freedom from many
of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools but
agree to greater accountability . The 'charter' establishing each
school is a performance contract detailing the school's mission,
program, goals, and students served, methods of assessment, and
ways to measure success. Typically Charters are granted for a
term of three to five years. At the end of the term, the entity
granting the charter may renew the school's contract. Charter
schools are accountable to their sponsor- usually a state or local
school board- to produce positive academic results and adhere
to the charter contract.
In
exchange for this accountability, charter schools have the freedom
to choose the methods and processes they think will best help
them deliver results. Innovative teaching practices and strategies,
class structure and other academic tools can be used and tested
and then quickly modified to meet the needs of the student population.
And since the initiative to start a charter school can come from
a wide variety of entities - parents, teachers, community/business
leaders, entrepreneurs and school districts, for example - there
typically is significant community involvement and support.
The
Charter School Advantage
Charter
schools increase publicly funded opportunities for learning. Parents
and students have more choices for accessing a quality education
and have new ways to become involved in public education. Small
class size, high academic standards, innovative teaching and a
systemized, philosophical approach to education are all reasons
that parents and teachers alike praise charter schools. Instead
of being held accountable for compliance to a set of rules and
regulations, charter schools are accountable for delivering academic
results, and balancing the needs of students and their parents
as they meet their charter requirements. While open to all students,
most charter schools are established to fulfill a particular educational
vision or to address a particular subset of the general public
school population.
The
Charter School Movement in New Hampshire
New
Hampshire enacted charter school legislation in 1995. According
to the N.H. Department of Education, New Hampshire is testing
the charter school waters in a careful and measured way. The hope
is to realize the advantages possible through charter schools.
