The Role of Charter Schools in New Hampshire

  Mary is the dean and Nancy is an academic coordinator for the School of Education

So, what are charter schools? Charter schools are innovative public schools designed by parents, teachers, community leaders, colleges, entrepreneurs or school districts. They operate with greater flexibility but agree to increased levels of accountability. They have the freedom to choose the methods and processes they think will best help them deliver results for students. The U.S. Department of Education awarded over $16 million to New Hampshire to support new charter school development and charter schools receive state adequacy dollars on a per-student basis because they are public schools. The New Hampshire State Board of Education has granted 17 charters. For more information about New Hampshire charter schools go to http://www.education.nh.gov/instruction/school_improve/charter/index.htm.

What are charter schools doing in New Hampshire? Five years ago, former Exeter Superintendent of Schools Skip Hanson and Assistant Superintendent of Schools Steve Kossakoski had an idea to create a virtual charter that would offer a range of courses beginning in middle school through high school that would be available to every student in New Hampshire. If a small rural high school could not offer AP Chemistry, the student could take the course virtually. The Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS) employs emerging distance learning technologies to provide any-time any-where access to a rigorous competency-based, personalized education. The VLACS meets the needs of a wide variety of students and fosters 21st century skills, self-directed learning skills, literacy, problem-solving skills, time management, and personal responsibility. The school offers programming to both full-time and part-time students and has a course enrollment of over 8,000 students.

Another exciting charter is driven by Meryl Levin, an adjunct professor, who worked with a highly motivated group of Manchester parents and community members. The result, the Mill Falls Charter School, will serve elementary-aged students in grades K-6 and embraces the Montessori tradition. Meryl saw the success her son had in a Montessori environment and wanted other children with less economic resources to share in that experience. Montessori represents an entirely different approach to education and emphasizes learning through all five senses.

Children in Montessori classes learn at their own, individual pace. Learning is an exciting process of discovery, leading to concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and a love of learning. Montessori classes place children in age groups forming communities in which the older children spontaneously share their knowledge with the younger ones. On March 9, 2011 the State Board of Education voted unanimously to accept Mill Falls' application and granted them charter school status. Meryl is very excited about this opportunity and for more information please email millsfallscharter@gmail.comMontessori.

The Southern New Hampshire University School of Education explored the possibility of proposing a charter school. Space is the currently the challenge. A charter would offer many benefits for students preparing to be teachers in an environment designed and developed by SNHU faculty. The concept is still open for future thinking and offers exciting possibilities for the university and students. Across the state, the debate about charter schools continues. The evidence of effectiveness is emerging and giving pause for reflection. The question can be asked, “What are the traditional public schools learning from charter schools?”