About Public Schools

The ideas behind the development of charter schools began in the 1950s. However, credit for beginning the charter school movement generally goes to former American Federation of Teachers President Albert Shanker. Shanker called for reform to public schools in the late 1980s that inspired states to pass legislation permitting the establishment of charters. Minnesota took the lead in 1991, creating the nation’s first legislated charter school, which opened the following year.

The charter school movement was borne out of the nation’s desire to improve education. This has long been a point of emphasis in our country and is often a hallmark of presidential debates and congressional action. However, determining the best way to prepare the country’s youth for post-secondary education and the workforce can sometimes be difficult to do. Parents have many options for their child’s education, including charter schools, traditional public schools, private schools, magnet schools or homeschooling. But when it comes to the debate between charter schools and public schools, recent data collected by Mathematica Policy Research reveals that charter schools seem to be doing a better job of graduating students and preparing them for life after high school.

This video compares charter and magnet schools.

Educational Benefits

According to Mathematica, the graduation rate at charter schools is between 7-11 percent higher than public schools in the same area. Even for at-risk students, who may not have the financial,

Over the last 60 years, American public schools have become more and more diverse, with various ethnic and racial groups comprising a significant percentage of total enrollment. However, according to new data released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the diversity of public schools in this nation will change drastically over the next decade and appear much differently than today.

The Numbers

The number of white students enrolled in public schools has been falling for years. According to the NCES, between 2000 and 2010, white enrollment decreased from 61 percent to 52 percent of the total public school population. At the same time, the number of Hispanic students increased from 16 percent to 23 percent of total enrollment. This was a trend seen throughout the country over that timespan, with schools in the South and the West seeing the largest Hispanic enrollment increases of any region.

Graph from Huffington Post

The 2014 data released by the NCES shows that this trend has continued since 2010 and will continue for the foreseeable future. Through the 2022-2023 school year, the number of white students graduating is projected to decline by another 16 percent. A 14 percent decrease in the number of black students and a 29 percent decrease in the number of American Indian and Alaskan Native students that graduate from public high schools is expected as well. Conversely, other minority groups are expected

A new PDK/Gallup Poll offers some interesting statistics on how parents view the current state of public schools. While standardized testing did make its way into the poll, more parents were worried about school funding than how to assess school and student performance. Most parents also thought their neighborhood school was doing a pretty good job, although they didn't rank public schools as well nationally. Read on to learn more about how parents see the condition of public education today.

About the Poll

The poll is a collaborative effort between Phi Delta Kappa and Gallup. It is conducted annually and is considered one of the best-known research instruments today. This year, researchers surveyed more than 1,000 Americans over the age of 18, asking questions from previous years and questions new to this year's survey. Because it is performed annually, researchers are able to track changing views of the education system and evaluate new ideas and processes in public education.

The Standardized Test Question

With No Child Left Behind and Common Core Standards still floating around Washington, the big question remains whether standardized testing is proving its worth in the education realm. According to this recent poll, parents don't find standardized testing very valuable for their children. Less than one-quarter of those polled thought tests had improved the quality of education in public schools. Three-quarters believed testing had made no difference or even hurt the education environment for students.

Standardized testing came in fifth this year on parents'

The back-to-school ritual has become expensive for families across the country today. While “public” education tends to imply free schooling, that is no longer the case for many cash-strapped school districts. Before you send your kids off to the hallowed halls of their neighborhood schools, check out how much that public school might set your checkbook back.

Mandatory Fees Add Up Quickly

Mandatory fees may encompass everything from textbook fees to the cost of technology. Although the ACLU takes the consistent stand that requiring fees for public education is illegal, the practice is becoming widespread as school districts grapple with budget cuts. According to NBC News, the cost of those mandatory fees can vary widely, from $20 or $40 a student to hundreds per student in some districts.

Gawker recently published a report that included a copy of a fee slip from a high school in Park Ridge, Illinois. The slip shows fees totaling nearly $600, with $300 for a required Chromebook that students must purchase even if they have their laptop or tablet at home. The slip also listed generic “10^th Grade Fees” at $114 and several smaller fees for textbooks and a yearbook.

This video from the Cato Institute examines the true cost of public education.

Extracurricular Activities Don’t Come Cheap

Clubs and sports are another area when many parents feel the stab in their pocketbooks. NBC News

As kids and parents get ready for the back-to-school flurry, it doesn’t appear pocketbooks will open up quite as much as last year. According to three different national surveys, parents are planning to pare back on school spending this year, although the specific amount varies somewhat. As kids lament the end of their summer vacations, parents are on the hunt for ways to save as they equip their kids for their new classroom experiences.

Spending Expectations from National Retail Federation

The National Retail Federation predicts spending for back-to-school to be significantly more per family than it was last year. This time last year, the average family in the United States spent $688 on school supplies, clothing, shoes, and backpacks to send the kids back to school in style. This year, that number is expected to be closer to $634.

The NRF predicts overall back-to-school and off-to-college spending will total $72.5 billion. The majority of that will come from college costs, while back-to-school spending should total around $26.7 billion of that larger number. The average family sending a child to college is expected to spend around $836, as opposed to $907 that was spent last year.

“The good news is that consumers are spending, but they are doing so with cost and practicality in mind,” Matthew Shay, president, and CEO of the National Retail Federation stated on the organization’s website. “Having splurged on their growing children’s needs last year, parents will ask their kids