Myth #1: Charter schools are private schools.

Fact: Charter schools are tuition-free public schools, open to all students who apply for an open seat, regardless of a student's prior academic performance or special needs. They receive state per-pupil funding and must follow the vast majority of state Department of Education regulations. Further, they must take the ISTEP test and are held accountable to the same standards for student performance and improvement as any other public school.

Myth #2: charter schools can deny enrollment to a student based on special needs or academic reasons.

Fact: As public schools, charter school must comply with all state and federal laws concerning open enrollment. A charter school is forbidden by law from denying enrollment to a student based on the student's academic level or special needs.

Indiana Charter Schools Perform Significantly Better Than Their Traditional Public School Peers
A CREDO at Stanford University Report on a study of Indiana charter school students shows more growth for charter school students compared to their traditional public schools peers.

Stanford, CA – A new report released today by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University found that reading and math gains for charter school students in Indiana were significantly better compared to their traditional public school peers. The Indiana report, examined charters from 2004-2008 and expands upon the national CREDO at Stanford report, entitled, "Multiple Choice: Charter School Performance in 16 States," that was released in June of 2009.

Building on the methodology used for the national report, CREDO at Stanford found that overall, charter school performance in Indiana and Indianapolis outpaced the traditional public schools in learning gains. Looking at the distribution of school performance, 98% of the charter schools had similar or superior academic growth than the traditional public schools in reading and 100% of charter schools had similar or superior academic growth in math compared to traditional public schools. Charter schools of all ages in Indiana on average grow at better rates than traditional public schools and charter school students grow at higher rates compared to their traditional public school peers in their first 2 years of enrollment in charter schools.

On October 19, 2010 the Hello Gorgeous Van pulled to the Xavier School of Excellence parking lot.  The provided the Director Barbara Huber, a makeover.  The whole makeover experience is provided to the cancer fighters at no charge, which is possible only with the help of donations and volunteers.  You can learn more about Hello Gorgeous at their website, www.gorgeousgals.org.

WBST, a local TV station, covered the event.  The article can be found here.  Mrs. Huber is a breast cancer survivor.  She has beaten cancer twice.  As a school leader, this time of pampering was much needed.  October is breast cancer awareness month, and Mrs. Huber is our heroine of the month.

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