DEAR SUN SPOTS: Could you tell us what charter schools are? Are they private, paid for by private investors, or are they paid for by city or state? Is the curriculum governed by state rules? What grades? Thank you. — No Name, Auburn

ANSWER: What a good question!

Sun Spots began with the history of U.S. charter schools, which she found at Wikipedia:

“The charter school idea in the United States was originated by Ray Budde, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and embraced by Albert Shanker, president of the American Federation of Teachers, in 1988 when he called for the reform of the public schools by establishing ‘charter schools’ or ‘schools of choice.’ … Minnesota was the first state to pass a charter school law in 1991. California was second, in 1992. As of 2009, 41 states and the District of Columbia have charter school laws.”

Wikipedia also offers this basic description of charter schools and how they function:

“Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money (and like other schools, may also receive private donations) but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school’s charter. Charter schools are opened and attended by choice.

“While charter schools provide an alternative to other public schools, they are part of the public education system and are not allowed to charge tuition. Where enrollment in a charter school is oversubscribed, admission is frequently allocated by lottery-based admissions systems. However, the lottery is open to all students.

“In a 2008 survey of United States charter schools, 59 percent of the schools reported that they had a waiting list, averaging 198 students. Some charter schools provide a curriculum that specializes in a certain field — e.g., arts, mathematics, or vocational training. Others attempt to provide a better and more efficient general education than nearby public schools. Charter school students take state-mandated exams.

“Some charter schools are founded by teachers, parents, or activists who feel restricted by traditional public schools. State-authorized charters (schools not chartered by local school districts) are often established by nonprofit groups, universities, and some government entities. Additionally, school districts sometimes permit corporations to manage chains of charter schools. The schools themselves are still nonprofit, in the same way that public schools may be managed by a for-profit corporation. Corporate management does not affect the status of a school.

“In the United States, though the percentage of students educated in charter schools varies by school district, only in the New Orleans Public Schools system are the majority of children educated within independent public charter schools.”

All of this sounds pretty good, and Sun Spots found many websites extolling the virtues of charters. At publiccharters.org, the website for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, which advocates for charter schools, are these positives:

“[Charter schools] foster a partnership between parents, teachers and students to create an environment in which parents can be more involved, teachers are given the freedom to innovate and students are provided the structure they need to learn, with all three held accountable for improved student achievement.”

The website then goes on to describe how charter schools improve a child’s education through innovation and by creating a “unique school culture.”

Several other websites, which seemed to have a similar pro-charter-school attitude, echoed this information. One factor that seemed to carry a lot of weight was the freedom charter schools have in hiring and firing teachers and setting their own curriculum.

But not everyone is thrilled. Like regular public schools, charters are not always well run. A Feb. 20 editorial in the New York Times said:

“Despite a growing number of studies showing that charter schools, financed with public money and operating in 40 states, are often worse than traditional schools, the state and local organizations that issue charters and oversee the schools are too hesitant to shut them down. That has to change if the movement is to maintain its credibility.”

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