The Texas Legislature authorized the establishment of charter schools in 1995, and some of the "first generation" charter schools have been in operation since the fall of 1996. A charter school is a type of public school. Charter schools provide education through a "charter," which is a type of contract granted by a chartering entity such as the State Board of Education (SBOE) or the board of trustees of an independent school district.
The purposes of charter schools are to: (1) improve student learning; (2) increase the choice of learning opportunities within the public school system; (3) create professional opportunities that will attract new Texas Teachers to the public school system; (4) establish a new form of accountability for public schools; and (5) encourage different and innovative learning methods by these Texas Teachers.
Four classes of charters are authorized by the Texas Education Code: (1) home-rule school district charters; (2) campus or campus program charters; (3) open-enrollment charters; and (4) college or university charters. There are currently no schools operating under home-rule school district charters. The boards of trustees of several independent school districts have granted campus or campus program charters. Most of the charter schools in Texas operate under open-enrollment charters that are granted by the SBOE.
The purposes of charter schools are to: (1) improve student learning; (2) increase the choice of learning opportunities within the public school system; (3) create professional opportunities that will attract new Texas Teachers to the public school system; (4) establish a new form of accountability for public schools; and (5) encourage different and innovative learning methods by these Texas Teachers.
Four classes of charters are authorized by the Texas Education Code: (1) home-rule school district charters; (2) campus or campus program charters; (3) open-enrollment charters; and (4) college or university charters. There are currently no schools operating under home-rule school district charters. The boards of trustees of several independent school districts have granted campus or campus program charters. Most of the charter schools in Texas operate under open-enrollment charters that are granted by the SBOE.
