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What is a charter school?

Last week, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump nominated Betsy DeVos to be the Secretary of Education in his administration.

DeVos is an education activist. She supports school choice -- a term for policies that 1.let students and their families choose between attending private or public schools.

1.let students and their families choose between attending private or public schools让学生和他们的家庭在上私立学校或公立学校之间进行选择

Devos has been 2.a leading supporter of charter schools.

2. a leading supporter主要的支持者

So, what are charter schools? How are they different from traditional public schools in the United States?

In today's Education report, we explore the charter school movement.

What are charter schools?

The American state of Minnesota passed the country's first charter school law in the early 1990s. Since then, charter schools have spread 3.from coast to coast.

3. from coast to coast全国各地，习惯用语，从一个海岸到另一个海岸

There are currently more than 6,700 charter schools, educating nearly 3 million students 4.nationwide. Those numbers come from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 5.a non-profit organization.

4.nationalwide adj. 形容词，全国范围内的

5.non-profit organization adj. 形容词，非营利组织

Charter schools are a kind of public school that receives a special charter, or written rules, from a state government.

A charter is a document, or series of documents, that gives rights to a person or group of individuals.

Charter schools cannot require students to 6.pay tuition for their education. The schools also cannot 7.set admissions requirements. If too 8.many young people asked to be admitted, the school must choose its students through a lottery system.

6.pay tuition for education 交学费

7.set admissions requirements 设置招生要求

8.many young people许多年轻人

Charter schools 9.are different from public schools in many ways. They often have flexibility in the kinds of 10.classes and programs that they can offer. They often do not have to follow the rules public schools do.

9.A is different from b in many ways. a东西和b东西在许多方面不同。

10.classes and programs that they can offer 他们可以提供的班级和课程

Jon Valant is an education expert at the Brookings Institution, a public policy group. He says the charter school movement grew out of unhappiness with public schools.

Over time, different groups began supporting the charter cause. Civil rights groups wanted 11.schools that broke down barriers based on race or wealth. Parents wanted 12.greater ability to choose where their children went to school. Some Americans said that 13.competition between schools could 14.improve the quality of education.

11.broke down barriers based on race or wealth 可以打破有种族或者财富障碍的学校

12.greater ability to choose 更大的选择能力

13.competition between schools学校之间的竞争

14.improve the quality of education提高教育质量

The main idea was that 15.increased flexibility in an education program would let charter schools better serve their students.

15.increased flexibility in an education program 更高的教育灵活性

Why do Americans debate charter schools?

Not all Americans like charter schools.

For over 20 years, critics have argued that charter schools take money away from public schools, and may not 16.serve students with special needs.

16.serve students with special needs 服务有特殊需要的学生

Some civil rights groups have opposed charter schools.

The NAACP and Black Lives Matter movement, for example, have released statements criticizing charter schools. They say that charter schools have exacerbated segregation, increasing racial barriers. The groups have also criticized 17.the use of suspension as a punishment in charter schools. They point to studies that suggest that charter schools 18.are more likely to suspend 19.minority students.

17.the use of suspension as a punishment in schools 在学校中用停课作为惩罚

18.are more likely to do更有可能做什么事情（雅思写作常用句式）

19.minority students 少数族裔学生

Some labor and union organizers disagree about whether charter schools are actually public schools. The National Labor Relations Board, for example, recently ruled in two cases teachers at charter schools operate under rules that govern private sector employees.* Traditionally, public school teachers are subject to laws for public employees.

What does the evidence about charter schools say?

In the United States, tests are often used to measure educational success.

When 20.opponents and supporters of charter schools talk about 21.a school's performance, they are often talking about state 22.test results. Whether current state tests are 23.the best way to measure success is a subject of debate.

20.opponents and supporters of什么的反对者和支持者

21.a school’s performance一所学校的表现

22.test results测验成绩

23.the best way to measure success 衡量成功的最佳方法

Valant, at Brookings, explains what the evidence shows about state tests and charter schools:

"The best evidence we have now is that if you look 24.across the country, 25.kids in charter schools perform similarly on state tests to kids who are in similar schools. So it doesn't look like there are very large 27.effects 26.across the board on test scores."

24.across the country全国各地

25.children in x(charter) schools perform similarly on tests to children who are in similar schools(特许)学校的儿童在类似学校的儿童考试中也表现相似

26.across the board影响所有成员和部门的

27.effects on在什么上的影响

Valant goes on to explain that charter schools are not all the same. Some charter schools do a better job than others do.

"Having said that, the effects on test scores are more positive 28.in urban areas, which is where there is a lot of energy behind charter schools, so that's where you do tend to see 29.charters outperforming some of the local traditional public schools on state tests."

28.in urban areas在城市地区

29.charters schools outperforming local traditional public schools on tests特许学校在考试中比当地传统公立学校表现得好

Another point, Valant adds, is that one of the hopes of charter school founders was to de-segregate American schools. This reality was one that the charter school movement hoped, but has not 30.been able to change.

30.be able to do能够做某事

Another hope of the founders is that charter schools would 31.increase competition with public schools. The idea was that competition would lead all schools to improve. To date, there is no proof that the competition has improved public school quality. "That evidence just isn't there," Valant says.

31.charter schools would increase competition with public schools

What does the debate over charter schools show you about America?

Michael Hansen is an education expert at the Brookings Institution. He says he thinks the debates over charter schools show that some Americans are suspicious of the idea of public money going to private interests. The idea that charter schools have ties to private organizations, such as religious groups, is one common misconception.

Valant, also at Brookings, adds that the charter movement has appealed to Americans with different beliefs. This appeal, which has not been true of other education reform ideas, helps to explain some of the growth of charter schools.

Charter schools have not unified both political parties, Valant explains, but these schools have found enough support in the country's two leading parties.

"I think that support" he adds, "has been important in the sustained development of what is a pretty fundamental restructuring of the way that schools are governed."