Differences Between a Normal Public School and a Charter School

As a parent, I have seen many things in the public school system that drastically need improvement. Too often, the cures suggested are financial... throw enough money at the problem and it will go away. Yes, a good education costs a certain amount of money, but money is not the cure-all. More important than money is qualified, dedicated teachers, involved parents supporting the school's activities, and students who are eager to learn. The school district my son was in has different standards at each school. The children must then learn the ropes as they move from school to school as they progress toward graduation.

My son Jaxom is in 2nd grade. I removed him from the school he was supposed to attend because the principal there would not make any provisions for a gifted and talented student. Her gifted and talented program consisted of giving G&T students extra work. They were required to do the same classwork everyone else was expected to do, plus extra work too. Naturally, the gifted children regard this as punishment, though it is not intended to be.

I saw the biggest danger for Jaxom as a 2nd grader to be boredom. In kindergarten and 1st grade, he was well on the way to becoming a G&T underachiever. But Mrs. J, the principal, would not consider allowing Jaxom to be tested (credit by examination) to skip 2nd grade. She would allow no special concessions even as far as curriculum before November. Well, by then Jaxom would have been so bored he would have been in trouble and possibly even had an "in school suspension" or two under his belt. This was not acceptable to me, so I started making phone calls, looking for other options.

The first phone call I made was to a neighboring school district with an exemplary G&T program. I was told that they could not accept out of district students, but had I heard of Rapaport Academy, a local charter school? No, I had not. They gave me the phone number for this charter school. I called immediately and got the information I needed to start the pre-admision testing process.