School Choice

Many parents are frustrated with standardized tests and the pressure that they put on their students. As a result, some opt out of their child taking a test, while others may choose other educational choices such as charter schools and homeschooling, especially when their designated public school is failing. Explore the charter school movement and describe ways in which it holds promise for remedying the achievement gap.

Read section 8.2 of your text entitled “School Choice” and investigate one of the charter schools listed below, describing the qualifications to teach there:

• The KIPP Truth Academy (Links to an external site.) in Dallas, TX (https://kippdfw.org/schools/kipp-truth-academy)
• The CHIME Institute (Links to an external site.) charter schools in Los Angeles County, CA (http://www.chimeinstitute.org)
• The Compass Montessori School (Links to an external site.) in Jefferson County, CO (http://www.compassmontessori.org)

Using evidence from Chapter 8 and the websites above to support your response, answer the following questions:

• What unique instructional strategies are found in the charter school you explored?
• How are these schools designing goals for curriculum and instruction by addressing the individual needs of its student body?
• Would you want to teach at a charter school? Why or why not? Explain your reasoning.