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People are becoming frustrated and fed up with the public schools here in America and some adults aren't happy with just a GED. Some charter schools like the one that I attended offer a chance at high school to people 16-22 years old. Most charter schools offer a very different approach to high school and the scores on standardized tests and overall academics are higher than those seen in public schools. I myself went to a charter school for my junior and senior year of high school and completed both years in a little under a year. Had I stayed in a normal high school, I most likely would have flunked out because the teachers and counselors were unwilling to work with me and my drug/alcohol problems. I was undergoing treatment for my problems after an overdose and they were unwilling to treat me any differently from the other students. I transferred to a charter school during the summer and I attended classes all year round. While I was there, I was able to take part in and help teach a support/educational group that focused on drugs, alcohol, relationships, STDs, etc.

Most public high schools do not offer programs like that support group, nor do they offer you one on one lessons during the school day. All of the classes offered at the school were given on the computer, so the teachers were able to lend one on one help if it was needed without interrupting the class. School days were significantly shorter, lasting about three hours, which helped the students who were unable or unwilling to cope with the usual long school hours. If you wanted to, you could stay for all of the sessions and get extra work done.

A lot of the students that went to this school were pregnant teens, alcohol abusers, drug abusers, and students with psychiatric disorders or learning disorders. This may seem odd to you, but there were less drugs and alcohol floating around that school than at the public one I attended. I felt safer at this school than I did at the public high school. To get into the school, you had to be buzzed in and you had to be authorized by one of the administrators. There was also a security guard on the premises during school hours. At the public high school, there were none of those. People came and went as they pleased and were only stopped if they "looked suspicious." How safe does that make you feel?

Those are some of the pros that I can think of right off of the top of my head. I can't think of one con to discuss.

Public schools are becoming a haven for the lazy, alcoholic, drug-stricken youth of America, and most of the schools aren't doing anything about it. Is it any wonder that charter schools are becoming so popular? For many students, this is their last chance to succeed at achieving their high school diploma. Charter schools aren't a bad thing, they are just what we needed.

Learn more about this author, Corey Pike.
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