What is the legislative intent for charter schools?
The California Legislature enacted the Charter Schools Act of 1992 to authorize the establishment of charter schools. The purposes of charter schools, as specified in EC Section 47601 (Outside Source), are to: • Improve pupil learning. • Increase learning opportunities for all pupils, with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for pupils identified as academically low achieving. • Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods. • Create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the learning program at the school site. • Provide parents and students with expanded educational opportunities within the public school system without the constraints of traditional rules and structure. • Provide schools a way to shift from a rule-based to a performance-based system of accountability. • Provide competition within the public school system to stimulate improvements in all public schools.
