Charter School Group Likes How Indiana Treats Charter Schools

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INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is at the top when it comes to state charter school laws, says a ranking by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

But, how did Indiana get to the top?

The report analyzed charter schools in 45 states by looking at and awarding points based off of each school’s special education capabilities, student enrollment, extracurricular activities and more.

Robert Enlow, President and CEO of EdChoice

“I see the rise of charter schools growing faster,” said Robert Enlow, President and CEO of EdChoice. “I see the rise of non-public schools growing faster. I see the rise of high quality public schools and magnet schools growing faster.”

When it comes to choosing where you send your child, Enlow says, parents need a wide variety of options because every child needs something different and not every school serves a child’s needs.

Indiana has 96 public charter schools to choose from, with around 38,800 students enrolled.

“These schools are servicing children who have a great deal of need. In fact, if you look at the number of low income children in charter schools it’s through the roof. It’s higher than the Indiana traditional public schools, so these schools are serving children with high needs and less money.”

The difference between public and charter schools, says Enlow, is that charter schools don’t get the same amount of money.

“So, you’ve got charter schools operating with fewer bureaucrats, with fewer regulations and that’s what makes them able to do it with less money and a better job.”

The report showed that Indiana has made an effort to improve the funding for charter schools, but that more work still needs to be done.

“We trust the educators who are in charter schools, and the principals in charter schools to do their job well, so we don’t overburden them with a bunch of regulations,” said Enlow. “We also give them a decent amount of money– although not good enough, as you can see in the report–to educate children.”

He says public schools are funded with federal state and local money, but charter schools aren’t funded with any local money at all. A charter school receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system.

But, whether you choose to send your child to a public, private, or charter school, Enlow says it should be about what the child needs, not what the adult needs.

 

Image by White77 from Pixabay