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Charter schools in North Carolina
 in North Carolina |
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| Education policy in the U.S. |
| Public education in the U.S. |
| School choice in the U.S. |
| Charter schools in the U.S. |
| Higher education in the U.S. |
| Glossary of education terms |
| Education statistics |
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Charter schools in North Carolina are public schools operated independently of public school systems, either by nonprofit or for-profit organizations. Although they are largely publicly funded, charter schools are exempt from many of the requirements imposed by state and local boards of education regarding hiring and curriculum. As public schools, charter schools cannot charge tuition or impose special entrance requirements; students are usually admitted through a lottery process if demand exceeds the number of spaces available in a school. Charter schools generally receive a percentage of the per-pupil funds from the state and local school districts for operational costs based on enrollment. In most states, charter schools do not receive funds for facilities or start-up costs; therefore, they must rely to some extent on private donations. The federal government also provides revenues through special grants. As of March 2017, 44 states and the District of Columbia had approved legislation authorizing the creation of public charter schools. Six states had not.
Background
History
The concept of creating public charter schools as alternatives to traditional public schools was first brought to public attention in the late 1980s by a small group of policymakers and educators. The notion gained traction in the early 1990s, and in 1991 Minnesota became the first state to pass a charter school law.[1]
The National Conference of State Legislatures defines charter schools as follows:[2]
| “ |
Charter schools are publicly funded, privately managed and semi-autonomous schools of choice. They do not charge tuition. They must hold to the same academic accountability measures as traditional schools. They receive public funding similarly to traditional schools. However, they have more freedom over their budgets, staffing, curricula and other operations. In exchange for this freedom, they must deliver academic results and there must be enough community demand for them to remain open.[3] |
” |
| —National Conference of State Legislatures | ||
Across the nation, charter schools have grown in number since the passage of the first public charter school law. As of March 2017, 44 states plus the District of Columbia had enacted charter school laws, and in 2013 it was estimated that 4.6 percent of all public school students attended charter schools. Performance results of charter schools nationally have been mixed, with some performing demonstrably better and others closing because they could not meet required standards.[2][4][5]
North Carolina's charter school law was passed in 1996. Originally, the law capped the total number of charter schools at 100. The state reached this cap in 2001, though the legislature did not lift the cap until 2011, when it was removed completely.[6]
Participation
According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter school advocacy group, there were an estimated 161 total charter schools in North Carolina in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 82,000 students. Overall, charter school students accounted for 5.30 percent of total public school enrollment in North Carolina in 2015.[7]
| Charter schools, 2015-2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Total number of charter schools | Estimated enrollment | Percentage of total public school enrollment |
| North Carolina | 161 | 82,000 | 5.30% |
| South Carolina | 68 | 31,300 | 4.15% |
| Tennessee | 100 | 33,300 | 3.32% |
| Virginia | 9 | 1,200 | 0.09% |
| United States total | 6,824 | 2,930,600 | 5.85% |
| Note: The percentages in the column labeled "Percentage of total public school enrollment" were calculated by taking the estimated number of charter school students in a given state and dividing by the total estimated number of public school students in that state in 2015. Total public school enrollment estimates came from the National Center for Education Statistics. Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "A Closer Look at the Charter School Movement," February 3, 2016 | |||
Demographics
The table below presents information about the race/ethnicity of charter school students in North Carolina in the 2013-2014 school year, as reported by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. To facilitate comparison, the same figures are also provided for all public school students.[8][9]
| Enrollments by ethnicity, 2013-2014 (as percentages) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data sample | White | Black | Hispanic | Asian | Other |
| Charter schools in North Carolina | 60.0% | 26.0% | 7.0% | 3.0% | 4.0% |
| Public schools in North Carolina | 51.4% | 26.0% | 14.5% | 2.8% | 5.3% |
| Charter schools in the U.S. | 34.9% | 27.1% | 30.0% | 4.1% | 3.8% |
| Public schools in the U.S. | 50.3% | 15.6% | 24.8% | 4.8% | 4.4% |
| Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 203.70. Percentage distribution of enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and state or jurisdiction: Fall 2003 and fall 2013," accessed June 7, 2016 National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Charter Public School Movement: A State-by-State Analysis," March 2016 | |||||
State law
Authorizers
Charter school authorizers are, according to the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), the organizations "designated to approve, monitor, renew, and, if necessary, close charter schools." NASCA has identified six primary types of charter school authorizers:[10]
- Higher education institutions (HEI)
- Independent charter boards (ICB)
- Local education agencies (LEA)
- Non-education government entities (NEG)
- Not-for-profit organizations (NFP)
- State education agencies
The table below lists charter school authorizers in North Carolina as of June 2016. Click [show] to expand the table's contents.
| Charter school authorizers in North Carolina, June 2016 | |
|---|---|
| Authorizer | Authorizer type |
| North Carolina Department of Education | SEA |
| Source: National Association of Charter School Authorizers, "North Carolina Authorizers," accessed June 15, 2016 | |
Enrollment regulations
Charter schools in North Carolina are open to any student in the state. If demand exceeds available space, the school must hold a random lottery to determine enrollment. After its first year, the charter school must begin attempting to form a student body that reflects the ethnic demographics of the surrounding community. Schools may design a curriculum around a specific mission, but may not discriminate for any reason prohibited by federal law.[11]
Conversion schools must give enrollment preference to students who live in the former attendance area of the school. All charter schools may give preference to siblings of current students or former students who attended the school through its highest grade level. Preference may also be given to children of employees and board members amounting to no more than 15 percent of the student population.[11]
Funding
The way charter schools are financed differs from state to state, and even between districts within states. In North Carolina, charter schools receive a mix of state and local funds. The state provides a per-pupil allocation based on the district in which the charter school resides. Additional funding is provided for students with disabilities and English language learners. Local school boards must provide charter schools with per-pupil funding from the local current expense fund.[11]
The state does not provide any start-up grants or funding specifically for facilities to charter schools. However, charter schools may request to lease unused space from local school boards, to which the school board must agree. Local school boards are also allowed to provide space for charter schools for free.[12]
Student transportation is the responsibility of the charter school.[12]
Accountability
In North Carolina, applications must contain elements regarding responsibilities and performance of the charter school, which are then incorporated into the charter contract. As authorizer, the North Carolina State Board of Education must oversee charter schools and evaluate their performance. An annual report must be submitted to the legislature that details academic progress and performance of charter schools, as well as how they affect the state’s public schools.[11]
Charter schools must submit their own annual reports to the State Board of Education (SBE) and are required to participate in the Uniform Education Reporting System. The SBE may also require the charter school to undergo a financial audit, and its own policies provide that it must notify schools of any perceived problems and allow them the opportunity to remedy them.[11]
The policies of the SBE require charter schools to apply for charter renewal and present evidence of success in the application. The North Carolina Department of Instruction must also complete a portion of the renewal application. If a school fails to meet performance standards or mismanages funds, the SBE may deny renewal of or revoke the charter contract. The agency may also seek a replacement charter holder for a failing school. A charter school that demonstrates no academic growth for two out of three years is considered inadequate and must develop a plan of corrective action.[11]
The North Carolina legislature and governor may strip the State Board of Education of its power to authorize schools if its effectiveness is unsatisfactory.[11]
Charter school law rankings
In January 2016, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools released a report ranking all of the nation's charter school laws. North Carolina's law ranked 14 out of 43. The organization ranked each state's law by considering what it called "20 essential components of a strong charter school law." The table below compares North Carolina's score with that of neighboring states. To access the full report, including methodology, click here.[13]
| Charter school law rankings, January 2016 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | 2016 ranking | 2015 ranking | Ranking difference | 2016 score | 2015 score | Score difference |
| North Carolina | 14 | 16 | 2 | 152 | 148 | 4 |
| South Carolina | 13 | 10 | -3 | 152 | 152 | 0 |
| Tennessee | 34 | 32 | -2 | 124 | 120 | 4 |
| Virginia | 39 | 40 | 1 | 80 | 76 | 4 |
| Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up To The Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws," January 2016 | ||||||
Issues
Debate
Proponents of charter schools such as the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools argue that, due to their freedom from some state oversight and regulation, they can adopt more innovative educational approaches. This allows them to cater to their particular higher-risk school age populations, which are generally composed of more minority and poor students. In addition, advocates argue that charter schools empower parents and improve traditional public schools through competition.
Meanwhile, critics such as Diane Ravitch argue that charter schools have not been proven to produce significantly higher levels of academic achievement as promised. It is difficult to find data comparable to traditional public schools. Critics also contend that charter schools divert funds from traditional public schools, which continue to enroll significant majorities of public school students, thereby compounding problems at failing schools and generating unequal outcomes for students.[14]
Funding inequity
In 2014, the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform released a report identifying disparities between charter school funding and traditional public school funding. Examining 31 states, the researchers considered all sources of charter school funding, including public funds, grants, and philanthropic donations. Researchers found that charter schools received on average 28.4 percent less than traditional public schools. North Carolina's funding disparity was lowest at 0.1 percent, while Louisiana's was highest at 58.4 percent. The disparity in North Carolina was -17.1 percent, earning the state a D grade. Charter schools in the state received on average $1,710 less per pupil than traditional public schools.[15]
Below is a chart that compares North Carolina's grade and funding disparity with those of surrounding states. To access the full report, click here.
| Charter school funding disparity by state | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Grade | District per-pupil revenue | Charter per-pupil revenue | Disparity in dollars | Disparity in percents |
| North Carolina | D | $9,988 | $8,277 | -$1,710 | -17.1% |
| South Carolina | D | $11,019 | $9,082 | -$1,938 | -17.6% |
| Tennessee | A | $10,621 | $10,635 | $15 | 0.1% |
| Virginia | Was not studied | ||||
| Source: University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," accessed October 22, 2014 | |||||
Charter school management organizations and other groups
- See also: Charter school management organization
The vast majority of charter schools in Ohio are freestanding, meaning they do not contract with a charter school management organization for education services. In the 2010-2011 school year, 91 schools in North Carolina were freestanding, three operated under charter management organizations, and five operated under education management organizations.[16]
North Carolina has two advocacy organizations, the NC Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the North Carolina Public Charter Schools Association, and one state authorizer. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction also contains the NC Office of Charter Schools, which disseminates information on the rules and regulations regarding charter schools. The office contains the Charter School Advisory Board which makes recommendations to the North Carolina State Board of Education.[17][18][19]
Innovation
Charter school proponents argue that charter schools have the freedom to adopt more innovative practices, which in turn lead to improved academic performance. To get a sense of the level of innovation occurring in charter schools, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools surveyed charter schools across the country on the various innovative education practices they employed. In North Carolina, an average of 20 percent of charter schools reported using innovative practices in the 2011-2012 school year. The table below displays the prevalence of a variety of innovative practices in North Carolina as a percentage of all charter schools in the state. The figures are compared with those in surrounding states.[20]
| Charter schools with innovative practices, in percents (2011-2012) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Extended day | Extended year | Year-round calendar | Independent study | School-to-work | Higher education courses | Average | |
| North Carolina | 25% | 15% | 18% | 23% | 13% | 25% | 20% | |
| South Carolina | 63% | 33% | 15% | 26% | 19% | 19% | 29% | |
| Tennessee | 86% | 33% | 14% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 22% | |
| Virginia | No data available | |||||||
| Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014 | ||||||||
Ballot measures and legislation
Ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to school choice.
- North Carolina Education Expense Grants and Local School Suspension Votes Amendment (September 1956)
Legislation
The following is a list of recent charter school bills that have been introduced in or passed by the North Carolina state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms North Carolina charter school. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Charter schools
- Charter school statistics for all 50 states
- School choice
- Public education in North Carolina
- School choice in North Carolina
- North Carolina Department of Education
- Charter school management organization
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Public School Review, "What is a Charter School?" accessed October 2, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Conference of State Legislatures, "Charter School Finance," accessed October 9, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Center for Research on Education Outcomes, "National Charter School Study," accessed October 9, 2014
- ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Total Number of Students," accessed October 9, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina History Project, "Charter Schools," accessed December 1, 2014
- ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "A Closer Look at the Charter School Movement," February 3, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 203.70. Percentage distribution of enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and state or jurisdiction: Fall 2003 and fall 2013," accessed June 7, 2016
- ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Charter Public School Movement: A State-by-State Analysis," March 2016
- ↑ National Association of Charter School Authorizers, "Types of Authorizers," accessed June 6, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up: North Carolina," accessed December 1, 2014
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Education Commission for the States, "Charter Schools Update 2014 - State Profile - North Carolina," accessed December 1, 2014
- ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up To The Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws," January 2016
- ↑ The New York Review of Books, "The Myth of Charter Schools," November 11, 2010
- ↑ University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," accessed October 22, 2014
- ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014
- ↑ NC Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Purpose & Accountability," accessed December 11, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina Public Charter Schools Association, "Who We Are," accessed December 11, 2014
- ↑ Public Schools of North Carolina, "Office of Charter Schools," accessed December 11, 2014
- ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014
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