This year, it appears the legislature will finally address the need for charter schools in Mississippi. But I want to warn you: there is a lot of misinformation floating around.
Charter schools are public schools that are created to meet students' educational needs in unique ways. Charter public schools are given freedom from some rules and regulations that traditional public schools have to follow, and in return for that freedom, they are held to a higher level of accountability.
Some have said there is no evidence that charter schools perform better than traditional public schools. That's just not true. Studies by Harvard professors and others have found plenty of places where charter schools have outperformed the traditional schools near them.
What is true is that not all charter schools are successful. Of course, neither are all traditional public schools. The difference? When a traditional school fails, it gets more money from the state. When a charter school fails, it closes. Now, that is accountability.
To learn more about charter schools and how you can help us bring them to Mississippi, go to ParentPower.net. That's ParentPower.net.