The National Charter School Resource Center reports the charter school movement has gained momentum since the late 1980s. As of the 2022-2023 school year, nearly 4 million students were enrolled in charter schools. That’s up by more than a million students from just a decade before.
Dr. Jameson Brewer, an associate professor of social foundations and education policy at the University of North Georgia, said he sees charter schools as a “weird hybrid” between public and private schools. He’s also critical of charter schools, calling them the worst of both worlds and a lukewarm approach to education.
“Yes, they are supposed to adhere to state and federal laws that include anti-discrimination. They are supposed to serve students who have IEPs,” Brewer said, referring to Individualized Education Programs. “But if you simply don’t hire a full staff of teachers who are trained and certified to teach students with IEPs, [students] will either be counseled out, they might be pushed out, or they might feel like they aren’t welcome there.”
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