Human Resources

In Alberta all teachers who teach at charter schools must be certified. The school is required to provide disclosure of credentials to any interested parent as well as the general public. However, if a charter school hires its own teachers, as opposed to procuring teachers through the school board, they cannot be active members of the Alberta Teachers Association. Teachers may choose to take a leave of absence from the ATA in order to teach at a charter school.¹³

In a charter school, teachers are more involved in the day-to-day decisions than in regular schools where they are more restricted. There is also the opportunity for parents and the general community to become more involved with a charter school. At one charter school in California, parents are required to sign a compact, or a 'shared support agreement'. The compact gives them the opportunity to have an active role in developing the school's charter, to have an active role in governance, and to be more involved with volunteering their time to assist with school programs.¹⁴ One of the central features of the charter school movement is the school's ability to draw on skilled and caring members of the community as a teaching resource.

Programs

The Alberta department of education (Alberta Education) requires that charter schools comply with provincially-defined standards of basic education. All programs must meet the conditions outlined in the School Act. Therefore students from any public school can transfer to or from a charter school with little disruption. It is important to remember that a charter school does not have to be designed to meet the needs of all students. The main idea behind the charter school movement is to complement the existing educational programs. However, it must be stressed that all students have access and by law charter schools may not discriminate on any basis other than age and grade level.¹⁵ It is expected that students will be self-selecting in choosing the school that best matches their aptitudes.

Charter schools tend to specialize in a particular education service in order to address a particular need. An example of this is the Suzuki Charter School in Calgary Alberta. At the Suzuki school students begin each morning with intensive music instruction before they begin the regular Alberta curriculum. Whenever possible, music is used as a way to enhance the programming at the school. Dr. S. Davidson, chairperson of the school, describes it as "attracting those with an interest in Music, but the philosophy of demonstrating sequential mastery of skills in the Suzuki program transforms to all forms of learning and gives students an appreciation for this discipline in all fields."¹⁶