Do charter schools effectively teach today's youth?

"To me, charter schools have their good points and their bad points. Some have been saying that charter schools will create a competition between charter and regular public schools, and thus provoking standard public schools to do better in order to attract more students and more funding.

It has also been pointed out that charter schools are exempted from a few of the regulations that are put on the public school system, therefore allowing for some experimentation in the teaching styles and curriculum taught.

In a sense, this is a great way to discover new ways of teaching and learning, but on the other hand, I wouldn't want my child to be a test subject, with the possibility that they wouldn't learn enough. I would rather have my child learning curriculum that has been tested and proven to be beneficial.

I think that everybody should have a choice between schools, and not just public and private. For the majority who can't afford a private school, this just might be the choice they need. You don't know what new teaching style may be found, and you never know until you try."

<b>Trish Marx, sophomore. Oakland High School </b>

"This is a very good question. I guess it depends on the material the schools use and the programs the school board is affiliated in. As a whole, I think most can teach their students up to the standards and they exceed, where some might not be as focused on the learning environment and not as passionate about teaching as others.

In the past few years, I think they have raised their standards and that has passed a movement for all the other charter schools. I would say they effectively teach today's youth, but have slightly bent the bar compared to public schools. In most cases, that is a good thing.

The charter schools teach today's youth things public schools have never even heard of. All in all, if there was ever an option for me to go to either a charter school or a public school, with some good research the charter school would override."

<b>Ashley Bryson, sophomore. Roseburg High School</b>

"There are some public schools that are very effective in teaching students, while some are not as well kept up. There are some private schools that students learn a lot from, yet some are less traditional and perhaps less successful. Likewise, some charter schools are more or less effective than others.

Even though a school is labeled as 'public' or 'private' or 'charter,' this does not mean that it can immediately be placed into a certain category, effective or not. Schools within each class can vary greatly, and similarly, so can the students' experience.

So to answer the question, there are some charter schools that probably educate young people better than at a public school, while some may be lacking something. It all depends on the particular school."

<b>Lacey Bitter, senior. Roseburg High School</b>

"Charter schools are publicly funded, and function apart from typical public school regulations. They are given great freedom, but are required to meet certain expectations after a given amount of time, usually five years.

According to a national study done by the U.S. Department of Education, charter school students do no better, and sometimes attendants score lower in math and reading assessments than public school students.

Charter schools have not been successful in furthering student education. The United States' standard of education does not compare to most foreign educational system standards, and charter schools have not improved results.

The American government should focus its funds on the public and private schools already in existence, while heightening expectations. There may be other motives at work in the founding of charter schools that perhaps jeopardize the educational environment for today's youth. Charter schools should continue to be monitored and not so blindly supported."

<b>Austin Clark, senior. Umpqua Valley Christian School</b>

<i>Truth of Youth, which appears in Monday's News-Review, is an opportunity for teens to express their opinions.

If you would like to submit a question, write to Erin Snelgrove at P.O. Box 1248, Roseburg, OR 97470 or e-mail her at esnelgrove@newsreview.info. </i>