| charter school n. A public school operated independently of the local school board, often with a curriculum and educational philosophy different from the other schools in the system. |
| Main Entry: | charter school |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | an independently run but tax-supported K-12 public school created with a different educational philosophy and curriculum than other schools in the area |
| Example: | Charter schools are often founded as magnet schools or for special educational needs. |
| Etymology: | 1991-96 |
charter school
By 2003 more than 684,000 U.S. students attended charter schools-publicly funded schools that pledged better academic results and were unencumbered by many of the regulations governing ordinary public schools. The aim of the nearly 2,700 charter schools in the U.S. was to furnish educators with the freedom to create novel ways of organizing teaching in an effort to yield better student performance and greater parent satisfaction than that typically produced by regular public schools. Operators of charter schools were granted such freedom by committing themselves-in the form of a written charter-to a variety of conditions that, they predicted, would produce superior learning outcomes. The conditions agreed with those identified in charter-school legislation passed by state or local lawmakers.
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