Charter school: flexibility vs accountability

According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1/8, Stepp), Marietta City Schools became the second metro-area school system [in Georgia] that decides to petition the state to become the state's first charter school systems." Georgia law allows entire school districts to convert to charter status. Once approved as charters, the districts would be exempt from federal mandates under the No Child Left Behind Act, as well as state requirements for teacher credentials, class sizes and instructional time, etc.

[In exchange, these districts should be held accountable for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter. Some studies have shown that in general charters school perform better than traditional school districts, but there are controversies about funding issues and the difficulty of accountability.] No wonder that "there is a natural level of apprehension" among some parents, the report said.