The Rise of Charter Schools

By Jennifer K. Morita

On a cold, gray morning just before winter break, students at Westlake Charter School in Natomas pause outside their classroom, staring and pointing at the sidewalk, where one of the parents has drawn an intricate burst of butterflies and flowers in brightly colored chalk.

A half-hour later, the kids are designing their own rangoli—decorative creations that adorn the floors of homes during India’s Festival of Lights.

“I like to show kids the connection between cultures,” says fourth-grade teacher Jeanette Rog. “Every culture has a festival of light in the winter because that’s when people need to be uplifted.”

Westlake Charter School—which emphasizes international studies and requires all 355 students, even the kindergartners, to take Spanish—is one of 162 charter schools in the Sacramento region.

And the number is growing.

Trending up
As traditional public schools continue to face mounting budget cuts, the demand for charter schools—with their smaller class sizes, parent involvement and often innovative approaches to education—is steadily increasing.

As a result, charter schools in California are experiencing unprecedented growth.  When school bells rang in the start of the 2010-11 year, there were 115 new charters statewide, bringing the total number to 912—the most in the nation, according to the California Charter Schools Association.

Statewide, nearly 400,000 students are enrolled in charter schools. By 2018, CCSA estimates more than 1 million students will attend California charter schools.

“No two kids are the same, and parents are always looking for the best public school options to fit their kids’ needs,” says Laura Kerr, CCSA Regional Director for Northeastern California. “Charter schools, as mission-driven organizations, get to focus in on a way that sometimes traditional public schools aren’t able to.”

“I think the bottom line is parents are satisfied,” says Kerr, “and the more satisfied, the more people hear the buzz and want to do something that might be a better fit for their kids.”

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Even as the number of schools continues to grow, so does interest in the campuses that already exist. Last year, Westlake had 580 applicants for 70 spots.

“Last year’s lottery literally brought tears to my eyes,” says Principal Bob Capp. “I could see the crestfallen look on parents’ faces when we didn’t call their child’s name. You could see their bodies collapse some.”

Lessons in success
Westlake’s test scores may have something to do with its substantial waiting list. Last year, Westlake jumped 58 points to reach 912 on the state’s Academic Performance Index. It’s the only school in the Natomas Unified School District to hit the coveted 900 mark. 

But test scores aren’t the whole story. Parents say they’re drawn to the longer school day, smaller class sizes, and the school’s emphasis on an international curriculum, physical education and visual arts.

Scott Dosick and his wife became founders of Westlake when their oldest son was still in preschool.

“One of the things I love is the differentiation they do,” says Scott. “If you have students who are struggling, they have intervention programs to make sure students are performing at least at grade level. Likewise, if a student is excelling, they provide extra work so no student is kept back from achieving his or her potential.”

Parent involvement is another plus. At Westlake, parents are required to volunteer at least 30 hours a year. “I liked the idea of my kid being part of an environment where you’d be surrounded by parents who were actively engaged,” Scott says. “Probably the most telling thing is my son has been there for two-and-a-half years and not once has he ever told me, ‘Daddy, I don’t want to go to school.’”

Investing in community
Charter schools are as diverse as their test scores. The Sacramento region alone is home to a language immersion charter school, an aerospace academy, vocational academy, performing arts school and several charters based on Montessori and Waldorf educational philosophies typically only available at private schools.

Last year, when Cindy Albrecht found out the California Montessori Project School in Sacramento was moving to her neighborhood, she jumped at the chance to enroll her seven-year-old daughter.

“A lot of it had to do with what the Montessori School had to offer, and not so much what our neighborhood school was lacking,” Cindy says. “It offered the opportunity to learn a foreign language at a much younger age than what is traditionally seen, and I also liked the Montessori philosophy … It allows for education to be more individualized to the student.”

At the Montessori charter school, parents are required to volunteer 40 hours a year. “So often at a public school, you have a handful of parents doing 90 percent of the work,” says Cindy. “In this setting, all the parents are involved. It makes it feel like the community is more invested.”

A mom, freelance writer and former newspaper reporter, Jennifer has over 10 years' experience covering local news for local families, including education issues.