Is Charter School an Answer for Inner-City Students - Dissertation Example

? Charter School Charter School Charter schools are public but independent schools that are more innovative on how they conducttheir learning. This innovation is mainly to improve the performance of the learner who in most instances has special needs or might not be of the same needs as other students. The schools are started in partnership with the parents, teachers and students to create an environment in which everyone including the parents can be more involved in the learning process, the tutors or the teachers are given the freedom to be innovative in the learning process and the learners are provided with the basic framework or structure they need to learn, with all three factors that is the parent, teacher and the student held accountable for improved student achievement or performance (Hoy and DiPaola, 2008).   Charter schools are public schools in nature and are intended to improve the education system of any nation. They possess a degree of independence in that most of the times they charge little or no tuition and are open to any student who wishes to enroll in them. They are also non sectarian and do not discriminate against any student on the basis of any affiliation be it sex, religion, race or color. They may be funded by the local authority in which it is situated, through the state or federal revenue like other public schools. These charter schools also adhere to state and federal academic standards as a benchmark in their day to day activities. The basic concept of a charter school therefore, is the exercise of increased autonomy in exchange for accountability to the relevant stakeholders. Charter schools are free to improvise ways of improving the general student performance and achievement through numerous ways. They might do this through offering longer school days or operating hours. This is what is at times known as remedial classes in some jurisdictions. Here, students spend more hours in class exploring ways of excelling in whatever discipline they are engaged in or are undertaking. This may occur during extended hours during week days, weekends or even during vacations or holidays. The schools may also adjust the curriculum contrary to what is set by the government to provide the learners with more time on the important or core subjects that they need most for their studies. Charter schools may also create a unique school culture whereby a specific school may adopt specific themes such as performing arts, career readiness, classical education, global awareness or meeting the needs of black or autistic students (Betts and Hill, 2010). Recent research has found that inner city kids or under-served students, who attended charter schools in New York City for nine consecutive years, from kindergarten to eighth grade, would close most of the “Scarsdale-Harlem” achievement gap. The research also found that charter school students in this study won school admission lotteries as compared to other students in other public schools in the state (Reardon, 2009). This is further led credence by a similar study that found that students attending charter high schools in Chicago and Florida had higher ACT scores, graduation rates and college entrance rates than their peers in traditional public schools (Booker, Gill, Zimmer and Sass, 2009) It is therefore true that charter schools are high achiever as they produce positive results in both elementary and middle schools. This therefore means that there should be improved participation of all stakeholders involved in the research about the viability of charter schools. This will require strong and better policy formulation that would eventually lead to high-quality public charter schools. (Betts and Tang, 2008) Inclusion of black male students with disabilities into charter schools is understood to mean the integration of the education of male students with disabilities alongside those that are leading a normal life through regular classroom attendance. This is prompted by the urge by different stakeholders such as the parent, teachers and the learners to improve student participation in education activities such as academics, educational attainment, vocational skills and socialization. Charter schools have therefore been proven to represent an avenue for promotion of inclusive education in a manner more conducive to the learner and can be conducted by the teacher or the tutor (Wilkens and Harvard, 2009). Improving the Academic Achievement of Black Male SWDs in Chartered Schools The question that is then asked is whether charter schools can be an answer for inclusion of inner city students especially the disadvantaged black male students with disabilities. It is imperative to note that at times charter schools may not guarantee black male students with disabilities maximum integration as compared to regular public schools (Buckley and Schneider, 2007). It is therefore upon all concerned to understand that instant success can only be achievable in certain circumstances such as black male students with disability attending specific colleges through sports scholarships. This means that only those with sporting prowess are likely to be fully included in such a society as a way of inclusion (Anderson and Stewart, 2007). The inclusion of black male students with disabilities is further affected by the socio-economic status of most African-American families (Anderson and Stewart, 2007). This is due to factors such as variations in the social and economic segments of the population, differences in values and socialization. Black male students with disabilities do require facilities that are more conducive to their mobility or ease of learning in charter schools. A charter school being a school focused on serving the families that have chosen it means that the curriculum chosen for the school should be in tandem with the culture and curriculum of the school and the constituents it serves. The charter school should therefore strive to serve a much larger segment of the student population to avoid fragmentation which may be caused due to the absence of common curriculum elements. This therefore requires that the charter school provides holistic education that is inclusive to the need of a black male student living with a disability (Sykes, Schneider and Plank, 2009). One specific intervention that has been made by the federal and state governments to ensure the inclusion of black male students with disabilities is the review of state policies especially those dealing with choice of education and what is known as voucher initiatives. This has greatly encouraged the black male students with disabilities in that there has been a noted improvement in class attendances and improvement in grades. It is envisaged that with substantial state or federal funding for such programmes, more male black students with disabilities will feel more included in the education system through charter schools (Paige and Witty, 2010) Charter schools may also aid in the inclusion of male black students by explicitly targeting black populations through their curriculum or recruitment agencies. This may be done through the choice of their locations. (Betts and Loveless, 2005). The main aim of such a move would be to determine whether charter schools will perform better in places where public school segregation is high. The result obtained from such a move will clearly show a significant participation of the male black child with a disability as compared to children of other races or capabilities. To what degree do prescribed interventions specifically related to inclusion support improve the graduation rate of the black male SWDs? A student may drop out of school due to a number of reasons which in most circumstances are socio economic factors. These may include the level of education of the family, family composition, geographic or academic achievement as well as past school experiences. Research shows that most black male students with disabilities drop out of school due to alienation and anonymity felt by the student and the decision to drop out of school. A male black student who has been made comfortable in a charter school has a high rate of transition or graduation to another level. This is due to the fact that once a student is able to identify with a school on an emotional level, he not only value the school’s purpose and mission but also feel a sense of belonging often referred to as identification and therefore follows the school’s procedures and norms by participating in the school’s activities. This is what is known as participation. Interventions are made at both personal level or at the school level. Charter schools do address the plight of male black students with disability by focusing on supporting the students in there learning activities irrespective of the greater school structure or culture. These may include offering advisory programmes to the learner or intensive involvement in extracurricular activities. At the school level, charter schools may focus on the school climate, culture, curriculum or instruction (Hsu, 2008). It is therefore true to say that the interventions made by charter schools specifically related to inclusion support have improved the graduation rate of the black male students with disabilities to higher levels of education such as university or tertiary levels. To what degree will inclusion support contribute to improved test data and academic achievement for black male SWDs? Generally, the drop out rate of African-American in the United States of America is twice the rate at which a White American drops out of school. The figure is even worse when it is a black male student with a disability living in an inner city neighborhood (Lifted, 2011). Inclusion of these disadvantaged students is therefore of paramount importance in enabling them realize their long cherished dreams of graduating to higher levels of education. Data on the degree of inclusion would be helpful in the sense that it would provide very important information on examining the role of these charter schools in provision of all inclusive educational needs of male black students with disabilities (Slaughter, 2012). Such data is useful in determining how a school conducts its running such as recruitment of both students and staff, retention of manpower and students, counseling, discipline and instructional practices and assessments. This will make an overall improvement of such a disadvantaged child like a male student fro the inner city living with a disability (Dittrich and Tutt, 2008) Conclusion It is therefore well proven that charter schools have a higher degree of success in offering inclusion thus good academic achievement to black male students with disabilities. This is due to an improved school climate and student correctedness attainable through the incorporation of certain aspects that make the student comfortable in school such as bringing home culture into the curriculum and instruction. (Hsu, 2008). References Anderson, T., & Stewart, J. B. (2007). Introduction to African American studies: Transdisciplinary approaches and implications. Baltimore, Md: Inprint Editions. Betts, J. R., & Hill, P. T. (2010). Taking measure of charter schools: Better assessments, better policymaking, better schools. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Education. Betts, J. R., & Loveless, T. (2005). Getting choice right: Ensuring equity and efficiency in education policy. Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution Press Betts, J. R., Tang, Y. E., National Charter School Research Project., & Washington State Library. (2008). Value-added and experimental studies of the effect of charter schools on student achievement: A literature review. Seattle, Wash: National Charter School Research Project, Center on Reinventing Public Education Booker, K., Gill, B. P., Zimmer, R. W., Sass, T. R., Rand Education (Institute), Rand Corporation., Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation., ... William Penn Foundation. (2009). Achievement and attainment in Chicago charter schools. Santa Monica, CA: RAND. Buckley, J., & Schneider, M. (2007). Charter schools: Hope or hype? Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. Dittrich, W., & Tutt, R. (2008). Educating Children with Complex Conditions: Understanding Overlapping & Co-existing Developmental Disorders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Hoy, W. K., & DiPaola, M. F. (2008). Improving schools: Studies in leadership and culture. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Pub. Hsu, P. A. (2008). Promoting high school graduation in a small charter school: An intervention targeting student participation and identification. Lifted, G. (2011). For impoverished students of color who considered dropping out of college when the refund check wasn't enough. S.l.: Publishamerica Inc. Paige, R., & Witty, E. P. (2010). The black-white achievement gap: Why closing it is the greatest civil rights issue of our time. New York, NY: AMACOM, American Management Association Reardon, S. F., University of Colorado at Boulder, Education and the Public Interest Center, & Arizona State University, Education Policy Research Unit. (2009). Review of "How New York City's Charter Schools Affect Achievement". Education and the Public Interest Center. School of Education, University of Colorado, Boulder. Slaughter-Defoe, D. T. (2012). Black educational choice: Assessing the private and public alternatives to traditional K-12 public schools. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger. Sykes, G. E., Schneider, B. E., Plank, D. N. E., & American Educational Research Association (AERA). (2009). Handbook of Education Policy Research. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. 7625 Empire Drive, Florence, KY. Wilkens, C. P., & Harvard University. (2009). Students with disabilities in urban Massachusetts charter schools: Access, inclusion, and policy. Read More