The Department Of Education Expands Focus On Charter School Students

The U.S. Department of Education wants to learn more about the demographics of students who attend charter schools. A notice was released on Wednesday calling for applications to create a competitive charter school grant program.

The Education Department in the Federal Register announced applications for a competitive charter school grant program. The program will award $160 million to help states to plan, design and implement programs fro charter schools.

Aside from the dissemination of information regarding successful charter schools, the aim is to increase the quality of education for underserved schools. The goal is also to promote diversity in charter schools.

While the program is similar to those that have been previously done, applicants would need to explain how their application could publicly report charter school demographics such as race, ethnicity and disability status. Applicants should also describe how to explain comparable data for surrounding public schools districts.

The call for applications is designed to ensure that charter schools are more transparent with regard to their students, according to Nadya Chinoy Dabby, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement of the Department of Education. The update also comes as the department's way of focusing on the importance of socioeconomic diversity in schools. In addition, it is a way to reduce the achievement gap between students from rich and poor backgrounds, according to Huffington Post.

Charter schools were started in the 1980s by then teacher's union president Albert Shanker. The schools were envisioned for children of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Unfortunately, the vision has not entirely become accurate. Publicly-funded yet independently operated charter schools are one of the most racially segregated schools in the U.S.

While charter schools still act within public school district, they do not need to follow regulations as most public schools do. This leaves charter schools open to alternative teaching methods and different programs, according to Business Insider.

Nearly 3 million kids attend charter schools in 43 states in the U.S. along with the District of Columbia. The numbers are up 9 percent according to the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools.

A huge majority of black students attend segregated schools in 15 of the states with charter schools. Charter schools typically have limited enrollment and accept students through an application process or lottery system.