FAQ’s

1. What is a Charter School?

A charter school is a public school that receives public education funding, and is open to all children. In general, a charter school is independent of the local school district, nonsectarian, tuition-free, and governed by its own self-selecting board of trustees.

2. What are the objectives of charter schools?

Charter schools in New York are meant to accomplish the following objectives:

• improve student learning and achievement;
• increase learning opportunities for all students with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for students who are at risk of academic failure;
• encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods;
• create new professional opportunities for teachers and school administrators;
• provide parents and students with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system; and
• provide schools with a method to change from rule-based to performance-based accountability systems

3. How are students admitted to charter schools?

Any child eligible for admission to a traditional public school is eligible for admission to a public charter school. Like all public schools, charter schools cannot discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability or any other reason covered by anti-discrimination laws

As with all public schools, admission to a charter school cannot be limited on the basis of disability, race, creed, gender, national origin, religion or ancestry. Moreover, and in contrast with certain district public schools, charter schools cannot limit admission on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, or athletic ability.

4. What if more students apply than the charter school can enroll?

If the number of applicants exceeds the number of available seats, a random selection process, such as a lottery, must be used. However, the Charter Schools Act does require that a charter school give preference in admission to students residing in the local school district in which the charter school is located, siblings of students already enrolled in the charter school, and in the second and subsequent years of operation, students returning to the charter school. Additionally, single-sex public charter schools may be created under certain conditions, and a charter school may be designed to provide expanded learning opportunities for students at risk of academic failure.

For more information about charter schools in New York State check here: http://www.newyorkcharters.org/charterny/faqs.html

Useful Links:

New York City Board of Education, Community and Parent Information: http://www.nycenet.edu/parents/

New York State Education Department, Information on Parent Involvement Activities: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/nyc/Parents.html

United Parents Associations: http://www.upanyc.org/

Community School District 29: http://www.csd29.com/

City & State Test Results: http://www.nycenet.edu/daa/test_results/