Charter schools contract with and receive funding from local public school districts, but adhere to policies differing from public schools. Charter schools are just one of several alternative education options and may base their academic programs on specific philosophical, political and/or scholarly perspectives. If you seek a charter school K-6 in Mesa AZ, you might consider a school like the American Leadership Academy.
While remaining part of the public school system, many charter schools require their students to wear uniforms. Students may complain that uniforms are oppressive, but wearing them eliminates distractions associated with inappropriate clothing and the latest fashions. Students from less affluent families blend with those born into families having greater financial resources when clothing does not reveal social status. Hectic mornings are a little easier when your child knows exactly what he or she will wear to school that day. Uniforms can also instill as sense of pride in each student. They know that, while they are in their uniform, everyone knows which school they attend and that school’s reputation.
A charter school K-6 in Mesa AZ may also have an honors track, offer independent study and accelerated credit learning. By tracking their child’s progress through the school district’s Infinite Campus website, parents can see when their child may be ready to participate in an advanced academic program. Schools can focus on skills that seem less academic than math or science, but develop personality traits that can help students succeed as adults.
Charter schools often rely on parental involvement and some provide programs requiring home visits from a child’s teacher. Parents may take turns chaperoning students during their daily bus rides to and from school or on field trips, along with being room parents, participating in the school’s ride share program or working the school Book Fair. As is true with some parochial schools, some charter schools require parents to volunteer a certain number of hours while their child is enrolled.
Charter schools were created to improve academic outcomes and to give parents more educational choices for their children without the expensive tuition some private schools charge. Your child may benefit from attending one of the 500 charter schools in Arizona.