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> Furthermore, unless those exemplary charter schools are forced to take any students applicants (which seems contradictory to their "charter") as opposed to th

> Furthermore, unless those exemplary charter schools are forced to take any students applicants (which seems contradictory to their "charter") as opposed to those who "qualify" or "via lottery". Charter schools are required to take applications for anyone who wants to apply. They even take applications from outside the district. There is no "qualifying" for entry. However, as with any school facility, space is not infinite. One of the things that lets charter schools stand out is that they usually have smaller class sizes than the non-charter schools. They are not going to just cram more kids in. So if 1500 students apply for a school that only has room for 1200, then a randomized lottery is performed. I don't know how other charter schools do it but ours has the most opening for kindergarten (obviously), very few spots for 1st-4th (only available spots are to replace students that leave the school), a few more in 5th grade (a class size increase allows for more new students) and then back to very few spots for 6th-8th. But the charter does have other provisions that allow for the lottery to be not truly random. It is weighted a little. Students that live within the district are weighted higher than students from outside the district. Students that have a sibling already in the school are also weighted higher.

r00fus 12y ago
Lets compare and contrast that with public schools. While I agree that class sizes should be limited, if no public money exists to create new schools, but charter schools are allowed to limit their class sizes, that's a huge imbalance in quality right there. Also, if the lottery can be "weighted" then how is it a lottery in any way shape or form? It's essentially administrator's choice, is it not? Public schools essentially have no choice as to who can attend except for rare exceptions (expulsions, not immunized without waiver, etc). Essentially charter schools are in a position like Uber - they get to play by different rules but then get to claim they're better when compared with handicapped public schools in the same area.
- jack-r-abbit 12y ago
  > Also, if the lottery can be "weighted" then how is it a lottery in any way shape or form? Think of it like a raffle. Every applicant gets 20 tickets. But in-district students get +2 tickets. Students with a sibling get +1 ticket. The raffle is still random but some people have slightly higher chance of winning. > It's essentially administrator's choice, is it not? No, it is not. There is no administrator making any choice. There is an algorithm that sorts all the anonymous applicants into a list for each grade. Once the lists are set, they "draw a line" at the spot where that grade is full. Everyone below the line is now on the waiting list. In-district students get a slightly better score than out-of-district students. Compare and contrast, it is very difficult to attend a non-charter school that is not the one assigned by the district (based on your address). Probably impossible for out-of-district students. The fact that charter schools will even accept applications from outside the district means their enrollment is more open than non-charters. Siblings that live in the same house would automatically be going to the same non-charter school anyway. So allowing charters to do the same gives them no advantage. But even then, there is still no guarantee that you will get in even if your sibling is in. You just have a slightly better chance. What ever imbalance the charter school's class size makes is negated by the fact that they get significantly less money per student than non-charters. That is part of the compromises that are written into the charter.
dragonwriter 12y ago
> Charter schools are required to take applications for anyone who wants to apply. Whether that is true or not depends on the particular charter terms, and the rules governing what terms can be in charters vary from state to state.
- jack-r-abbit 12y ago
  Sorry. I was speaking from what our school does. You are right. Those things are written into the charter.

r00fus 12y ago

Lets compare and contrast that with public schools. While I agree that class sizes should be limited, if no public money exists to create new schools, but charter schools are allowed to limit their class sizes, that's a huge imbalance in quality right there. Also, if the lottery can be "weighted" then how is it a lottery in any way shape or form? It's essentially administrator's choice, is it not? Public schools essentially have no choice as to who can attend except for rare exceptions (expulsions, not immunized without waiver, etc). Essentially charter schools are in a position like Uber - they get to play by different rules but then get to claim they're better when compared with handicapped public schools in the same area.

jack-r-abbit 12y ago
> Also, if the lottery can be "weighted" then how is it a lottery in any way shape or form? Think of it like a raffle. Every applicant gets 20 tickets. But in-district students get +2 tickets. Students with a sibling get +1 ticket. The raffle is still random but some people have slightly higher chance of winning. > It's essentially administrator's choice, is it not? No, it is not. There is no administrator making any choice. There is an algorithm that sorts all the anonymous applicants into a list for each grade. Once the lists are set, they "draw a line" at the spot where that grade is full. Everyone below the line is now on the waiting list. In-district students get a slightly better score than out-of-district students. Compare and contrast, it is very difficult to attend a non-charter school that is not the one assigned by the district (based on your address). Probably impossible for out-of-district students. The fact that charter schools will even accept applications from outside the district means their enrollment is more open than non-charters. Siblings that live in the same house would automatically be going to the same non-charter school anyway. So allowing charters to do the same gives them no advantage. But even then, there is still no guarantee that you will get in even if your sibling is in. You just have a slightly better chance. What ever imbalance the charter school's class size makes is negated by the fact that they get significantly less money per student than non-charters. That is part of the compromises that are written into the charter.

dragonwriter 12y ago

> Charter schools are required to take applications for anyone who wants to apply. Whether that is true or not depends on the particular charter terms, and the rules governing what terms can be in charters vary from state to state.

jack-r-abbit 12y ago
Sorry. I was speaking from what our school does. You are right. Those things are written into the charter.