Lou Rigney Describes the Rise of Charter Schools
Before modern advancements in the realm of education, parents had only two basic options: send their child to public school or find the money for a private education. For families of a low socio-economic standing or those with multiple children, the latter option proved impossible, leaving public institutions as the only viable choice.
These days, more schooling options are accessible to parents seeking an alternative to the standard public education system. One of the most fruitful of these alternatives, according to education management specialist Lou Rigney of the San Francisco Bay Area, California proves to be the Charter school model.
What are Charter Schools?
Like public schools, a charter school is a public institution which is funded by the government. However, rather than being run by the government itself, charter schools are generally run by parents, teachers, or community organizations. Although they may be independently operated, they are not independently owned. In this sense, they differ from both private schools (that are privately owned and require tuition) and public schools (which are government-operated).
According to Lou Rigney, schools of this type were created originally to challenge the education system by providing variety, choice, and competition. Given their more independent nature, charter schools are often known for the prioritization of innovation. Many such institutions specialize in a specific area of study ranging from technology to the arts.
The word “charter” itself refers to the school’s individualized performance contract. Among other details, this statement outlines the school’s goals, ideal students, areas of focus, and assessment methods.
The Rising Popularity of Charter Schools
Since their conceptions, charter schools have seen a rise in popularity in the American education system. Studies show that each year, more and more charter schools pull students from the private and traditional sectors — in fact, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools found that the overall enrollment rates in charter schools across the United States has tripled in the past 10 years, proving the sector’s overwhelming prominence and popularity.
Lou Rigney points out that these expansions appear to be taking place especially in low-income and urban neighborhoods, which suggests that the sector’s expansion is providing much-desired options to students who may otherwise be confined to a single school option. Critics, however, believe that the expansion of the charter school sector removes much-needed funding from the public sector, causing America’s education system to suffer. This, of course, is not true; diversifying a district’s educational options can only serve to benefit the students of any given district.
Benefits of Charter School Expansion
Also commonly referred to as ‘public schools of choice,’ charter schools empower students by allowing for options. Without them, many families would have no choice in what school their child attends unless they have the means to fund a private education. When one year of private high school costs an average of $13,030 (according to the National Center for Education Statistics), it’s certain that private schooling is a luxury that many American families simply cannot afford.
With these numbers in mind, it’s especially important to remember that charter schools exist largely in low-income neighborhoods with high minority populations. In other words, the charter sector is affording families who may otherwise have no say in their child’s education the ability to have increased agency and control over their child’s academic career.
In this way, moving towards the expansion of the charter sector doesn’t just continue to create healthy competition for surrounding public schools (which works to improve the quality of education across the board), it also gives low-income and minority households options they may not have. All-in-all, many educational experts such as Lou Rigney believe that the expansion of the charter school sector may be the turnaround effort America needs to finally address the problematic gaps in its education system.
