Charter Schools: The Ultimate Handbook for Parents

by Karin Piper

Written by a parent for parents! More than 30 chapters feature different aspects of charter schools from the perspective of a charter school mom. It also boasts a directory of award winning charter schools, plus a research guide to equip readers in pursuit of their happily education after. The fastest growing school choice is public charter schools. It is not just moms who favor charters, the list includes dads, teachers, community members-even legislators. Part 1 provides parents with the basic facts on charter school origins. It "Why do parents choose charter schools?" The answers come directly from charter school parents. Part 2 covers the basic structure of a charter school answering questions such Are charter school teachers qualified? Who attends a charter school? Who's the boss? Part 3 answers questions about charter school functions which are often asked by incoming families. We discuss expected workload, what to wear, the difference between amenities and necessities, as well as learning services. Part 4 is designed to help parents make a school decision, regardless of the answer. What are some of the facts you should consider? What concessions may need to be made? Is this realistic for you? Which type of charter school may be a fit? How do you enroll in a charter? Part 5 gives a glimpse of the charter school life. How do you connect with other families? Where do you volunteer? How do you build a relationship with your child's teacher? How do you network with other charter schools? Part 6 dives behind the scenes of charter school creation, how they are financed, and state laws. Part 7 looks at the politics, the unions and other hot topics surrounding charter schools. Part 8 overflows with a glossary of terms, resources and support available. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Karin Piper was born and raised in Sweden and landed in the United States through a student exchange program. She has written blogs and columns for several publications including Your Hub (Denver Post), Schools of Tomorrow (EdNews Colorado), the Examiner (Colorado Charter School Examiner) and Colorado Parenting Magazine. Along with being a mother and writer she is also a volunteer and advocate for schools and public libraries and has worked with the Douglas County Libraries, the Colorado League of Charter Schools, and a collection of area schools. She has been featured in various charter school advocacy network publications throughout the United States. Her quest for information about Charter Schools led to her becoming an informed school choice parent and she is eager to share her tales of confusion, frustration, hilarity, and the unbeatable spirit of community partnership.

Genres: Education

262 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

Reviews

[Karin Rosarne]

I am so bummed this book is out of print. I love gifting it to people who want to know about charter schools and why parents exercise school choice. I am holding one last copy in my library and hoping it comes back in print. If you are a parent or someone not interested in reading heavy texts on charter schools, this is a light read from a parent's perspective of why school choice is important, and how charter schools may be a potential solution. It is a book for parents authored by a parent.

[Lisa]

The book contains a lot of vague statements but very little specifics about how charter schools differ from public ones. For example, she includes a whole chapter with parent testimonials about why their children are happiest in charter schools, but even that chapter lacks much in the way of specifics. It mostly quotes parents who talk about how their child wasn't happy at other schools and is at the charter school (but no details as to why). One testimonial included a mother talking about fighting with the charter for a year to get her son appropriate math services that matched his advanced ability, because the charter had a policy that didn't allow him to work above his grade level. After a year (and in a different grade leve), she was able to get him better services. She praised the charter for being flexible and seemed to credit it as a strength of charter schools, but I was horrified to learn that the child spent an entire year suffering through math classes he already knew at the charter. Many other schools, charter or public, would have responded to that child's academic needs with some sort of differentiation without making him wait a full year before doing so. Why Piper included that tidbit is unclear, because it certainly made it clear that charter school rules can suffer from the same lack of clarity about putting a student's needs first as any other educational organization--and that no amount of parental involvement might make a different until the child has a different teacher in a new grade.

Piper mentions that charter schools usually offer educational alternatives (vs. traditional classroom learning) but she barely gives any details. She mentions "open schools" but her paragraph lacked any real information about how it worked other than some "didn't have walls." Her tone also varies from sarcastic to serious and back to sarcastic, apparently in an attempt to be funny and perhaps also as part of her persona as a "mom," though I would hope that even a "mom" is capable of writing in straightforward prose and including specifics for anyone interested in learning more about educational alternatives.

If you're looking for the ultimate handbook on charter schools, don't waste your time on this one.

[Hava]

This book has a lot of basics - if I didn't know anything about charter schools, this would have been a great introduction. Back when I was first investigating charter schools, I was reading heavy books on the topic that were much too in-depth - I should have been reading something like this.

Anyway, it's just what it says it is - a book about charter schools for parents to read to understand their options. If you're a parent looking into enrolling your child in a charter school, there isn't a better book out there for you.