We have been visiting charter schools this spring and have posted 20 new profiles, just in time for the April 1 application deadline. In addition, we have posted nine previews of charter schools that are scheduled to open in the fall. You may apply directly to each school; some schools also accept a common application on The New York Charter School Center website. Children are admitted by lotteries held in April, if there are more applicants than spaces available.

Charter schools are a mixed bag: some are orderly, cheerful places that offer children exciting new opportunities, while others struggle with basics like discipline. Some are better than ordinary neighborhood public schools, while others are no better -- or even worse.  Many have a longer-than-average school day and have classes over the summer.

See links to our latest profiles and previews.

MANHATTAN

The Equity Charter Project School, a middle school in Washington Heights, has attracted a lot of press because it pays teachers $125,000 a year.

Harlem Success Academy 3, an East Harlem elementary school, is part of former City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz's network of charter schools--and the one where she sends her own children. (We have a brief preview of plans for Upper West Success, in the same network, to open on the Upper West Side, and Brooklyn Success, to open in Williamsburg.) 

DREAM Charter School, an East Harlem elementary school, combines a family-friendly atmosphere with firm discipline and challenging academics.  St. HOPE Leadership Academy Charter School is a middle school in central Harlem that focuses on personal attention and tough love.

We also have previews of two other charter schools scheduled to open in the fall:

The former principal of Hunter College High School is opening a middle school called  Innovate Manhattan in the Department of Education Headquarters downtown.

Broome Street Academy, a high school affiliated with The Door, will target homeless and disadvantaged teens.

BRONX

Bronx Success 1 and Bronx Success 2 are part of Eva Moskowitz' growing network of elementary schools.

Girls Preparatory Charter School Bronx, modeled after a school of the same name on the Lower East Side, is an all-girls school offering music, dance, arts, and yoga.

Many charter schools operate under the premise that teachers’ unions are a barrier to good education. But Green Dot  New York Charter High School is out to prove that well-paid, unionized teachers, when treated like professionals and protected from capricious firings, are fundamental to students’ success.

Equality Charter School in Co-Op city had uneven discipline the day we visited; the principal was fired a few weeks after our visit.

We also have preview of schools scheduled to open in the fall.

A Montessori School will serve kids learning to speak English (but no site has been found for it yet.) No site has been found for Heketi, another school that's due to open in District 9 and that is targeting children who don't speak English at home.

Icahn 5 will join other schools in the network in a renovated building in District 11.

New Visions for Public Schools, a nonprofit which has long worked with public schools, is opening two charter high schools in the JFK building, each with a different focus: New Visions Charter School for Advanced Math and Science and New Vision Charter School for Humanities. Note that application deadline for these schools is April 8. (Eighth-graders may apply online).

BROOKLYN

Achievement First Brownvilleis a highly structured school with strict discipline. Explore Charter School and Explore Empower Charter Schoolare part of a growing network of back-to basics schools.

At PAVE Academy School, an elementary school in Red Hook, a highly structured day keeps the kids busy and engaged. Children learn Spanish as well as English at La Cima Charter School, an elementary school in Bedford Stuyvesant. It has a no-nonsense atmosphere but also some time for play.

Ethical Community Charter School in Bedford Stuyvesant draws on the philosophy of the private Ethical Culture Fieldston School. It uses progressive teaching techniques and focuses on building character while encouraging children to ask questions and become thoughtful citizens.

Children are respectful and engaged at Coney Island Preparatory Charter School, an elementary school where students move through the halls in silent, single-file lines.

Teachers at Fahari Charter, a middle school in Flatbush, are still working on developing techniques to control their classes.

Brooklyn Ascend Charter and Brownsville Ascend Charter are nearly identical elementary schools that share a new building in Brownsville. They are highly structured no-excuses schools with a long school day.

A Brooklyn native will open Invictus Preparatory Charter School, (no address yet), a 6-12 school which promises to offer a strict code of conduct, a longer school day and year, and an unflinching commitment to turning out college-bound students.

QUEENS

Growing up Green, an elementary school in Long Island City,  welcomes parent involvement and lets children be children.

STATEN ISLAND

Some charter schools have been criticized for failing to serve children with special needs. But Lavelle Charter School, a middle school which will grow to include high school grades, has worked hard to integrate children with a range of disabilities into regular classes.