You are a Realtor assisting in the relocation of an executive family. They want to settle "in the city" within a 10-15 minute commute to work. There are an abundance of lovely homes that meets this family's specifications, so only one big hurdle remains. Schools. But your inner city schools are a mess. Racial tensions, gangs, drug problems and low academic performance plague the school system. You sidestep the issue by suggesting one of several "private schools" in the area, but long waiting lists prevent enrollment. What rabbit can you pull out of your hat to make this deal work? It may seem like a long shot, but a charter school may just be the solution for your transferees.

Charter schools are accredited public schools that accept enrollment from students residing in any geographical area on a first-come, first-serve basis. They are conceived and operated by a group of parents, teachers and community members and leaders with the common goal of creating a semi-autonomous school of choice within a school district. Charter schools operate under a "charter" contract signed by members of the charter school community and the local board of education.

Each charter school has a Board of Trustees that is empowered to set academic, environmental, and behavioral standards of its own, which are designed to transcend the bogged-down bureaucracy of the public school system. The presumably best-of-both-worlds blending of public and private school agendas enables each charter school to enforce site-specific codes that encompass everything from curriculum to dress. The caveat is that some students may be ineligible to attend, just as in private or parochial schools, but not for reasons of race, color, national or ethnic origin.

At their best, charter schools provide an equal opportunity education in an environment geared toward student excellence and integration into the real world. In a charter school, each student, parent and teacher chooses to be there, and its success is based on the commitment of everyone involved to fulfill the goals of the charter.

In a May 1997 first-year report on charter schools, over two-thirds of newly created schools had "realizing an educational vision" as their primary motivation for being. Half of the pre-existing public schools that converted to charter schools cited "autonomy" as their most important reason. Clearly, the goal of charter schools is to improve on the existing educational paradigm.

Results can be exhilarating with the success of such schools as Renaissance Charter School in Irving, Texas whose TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Schools) scores in less than two years ranked them third behind the state's leading blue-ribbon school districts. If a rising tide can raise all boats, charter schools of this caliber are a credit to their districts.

At their worst, they can fail, leaving students with nowhere to go. Since the charter school movement began to gain momentum in the early and mid-nineties, critics have slammed the idea as a thinly-veiled attempt to secure public funding for private school development. The failure of a few schools have encouraged detractors who believe that school system bureaucracy should be maintained as it is. In some attempts to appease the growing trend, school systems are allowing "site-based management" which enables school principals and staff to manage funds as they see fit, but within the boundaries of the system, resulting in little improvement.

But statistics don't support the allegation of elitist discrimination. Most charter schools are in the inner city, providing more opportunity for excellence by disadvantaged, at-risk or minority children, as well as an opportunity for involved parents to make a difference in their child's school curriculum and environment.

How charter schools affect the real estate industry is that they remove the boundaries of "school district" from home selection, something the real estate industry would do well to monitor. As more families throw their weight behind the development of charter schools, the K-12 educational paradigm could change forever. If the relocating family is free to choose their favorite school and their favorite home, regardless of which district their schools are in, the long-range effect on real estate values could be impacted. Already, over half the states are issuing charters in recognition of this new approach to creating innovative, flexible ways of educating children within the public school system.

Find out if charter school exist in your state and your city, and what the enrollment requirements are. It just may be the solution that not only saves the sale, but provides a genuine educational alternative for your customer's children. At the very least, by knowing about charter schools, you will impress your customers with your extensive knowledge of the latest educational options.

Published: May 25, 1998

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Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. For more articles by Blanche, click here.