Charter Schools - Tampa,FL

Some charter schools are better than public schools, and some public schools are better than charter schools. You need to research "specific" schools.

My only experience with charter schools is the one my son attends and it is excellent. It's a charter high school and a friend described it as a cross between home schooling and college. That's the cool thing about charter schools, they are usually started by idealistic professionals with a desire to provide an unconventional educational experience for the student. Sometimes their ideas work and sometimes they don't. The school my son attends works well for him. Other students drop out after a few weeks because the lack of structure doesn't support their learning styles. So check out the school you are considering and see if it seems like a good fit for your son.

On average they do not perform as well as public schools. However there are great charter schools and great public schools as well as awful versions of each. Have you looked into your local gifted program - that may be a great fit for your child. For charter schools you need to evaluate each one individually. Other options include Waldorf and Montessori programs, home schooling and unschooling.

Also - I would find out what he doesn't like about his current school. My first grader has announced school is boring as well. Why? Because he is not learning enough about biology and animals. What would he propose to fix it? If the spelling, stories and math word problems used some animals in them (instead of you know - apples and trains) - he would be perfectly satisfied. Easy enough to fix.

Also, school is only a portion of his learning. There is no rule that when he is interested in something that you can't learn more about it at the museum, zoo, park, etc. School is really just a jump off point for exploration.

I would talk to his teacher and try to find out why he's bored. Kindergarten has to be one of the toughest grades to teach. Some of the students can already read and write, and some students have never been read to. Then you have all levels in between.

He might be bored right now, but he also might have several classmates that are struggling. As the year progresses, hopefully some of the kids will catch up and everyone will be closer to the same level by the end of the year.

My son kind of did an extra year. He's in kindergarten this year, but he was old enough last year and we placed in in "transitional kindergarten" - a class for summer birthdays and other kids who needed some extra time to mature. He really needed that extra year and is doing great, but he started kindergarten already knowing all his letters and how to write them. Most of the kids in his class did not, so he's learning to be patient - another good skill.

Talk to his teacher. This might be something that will improve with time. On the other hand, if it doesn't look like it will get better, you'll know and you can begin to explore other options.

I agree w/ most here that you need to do your research on charter schools as they are owned by different corporations. Charter schools are "quasi-county" if you will, they follow the county school system but add specialized subjects/fields that most public schools don't have or lack.
My son is in K in a charter school & it's a great school & he loves it! Within a week of starting K, his teacher recognized that he is more advanced than his peers & has given him "special" homework (even a few grade levels) & my son enjoys them! I appreciate that the teacher knows this on her own!
But not to say that public schools don't do this.. If your son has great teachers, maybe ask them if they can do more for your son..
Good luck!

every charter school is different. in the detroit area.. most charter schools are in areas where the public schools are bad.. in areas where the schools are good or great most people would not take their kids out of the public school.

my son is a smart boy in kinder. he can read as well as a 1st or 2nd grader. my son does not like kinder. he has asked to be homeschooled.

kids in kinder come in at all levels.. some are reading.. some dont know their alphabet. so the kinder teacher has a lot to teach.

our teacher has provided my son with a challenge pack of harder work for him. i am hoping that first grade will offer more challenges for my son. first grade is a lot lot lot harder than kinder. (mydaughter is in first now..)

ok I don't know for sure if this is true or not i have some aquaintences that worked in an axillary capacity at a charter school. and they implied that sttending that school was a privelidge and if behavior was poor the child could be sent back to their home district where as it seems public schools have more support systems in place to deal with children that might have some behavior issues.

please forgive me, i don't know your son. But i have seen so many parents say how smart their kids are etc etc but strong willed. and that to me is a red flag for Aspergers or highfunctioning autism. And Yes that means they are super SMART and VERY Difficult to deal with in any public setting, traditional public or charter. So to me, i woud go with the school that has the MOST support.

There is such a wide variety of charter schools out there -- saying "charter schools" is like saying "colors" or something. The obvious question is "which one?"

My son does attend a charter school, but we chose it in part because our district public schools do not offer gifted programs until 3rd grade. The school he goes is Montessori-influenced and emphasizes an individualized approach. It's wonderful, but it's just one school -- not necessarily representative of other charters at all.

If it were me, I would probably go with the gifted program if it's an option and consider a charter if not. But it REALLY depends on the charter. I'd also caution you to be particularly wary or for-profit or corporate charter companies that spend a lot of money on advertising and promise you the moon. There's one quasi-corporate model (KIPP) that's supposed to be decent, but in general, any money they spend on advertising is money they're NOT spending on kids.

There is a wide variety in charter schools, just like in public schools and private schools. We considered charter schools for our youngest child, and toured several of them. A few of them seemed to be of good quality - highly qualified teachers, well-organized, nice variety of extra-curriculars offered. A couple of them were awful. I am a teacher, and I recognize good teaching when I see it. A couple of these schools were sorely lacking. One of them had building issues as well. It was dirty, and smelled of mold.

If you are interested in charter schools, do some research. Most of them (around here anyway) post their curriculum online, so that may narrow it down for you. It did for me. Then call and set up a time to visit.

Good luck!!

All charter schools are different. My husband and I have both taught at charter schools and public schools. One was an amazing, independent, grassroots school that served a vital function in the community. The other was a financial mess, idealisc but not realistic, and run by a for-profit company.

Research your specific options, meet the administration, meet the teachers, talk with parents of current students, find out whatever you can about their philosophy as well as their reality!