Glossary of the Basics
Glossary of commonly used terms, buzzwords and acronyms in the education reform world.
School Choice– The term “school choice” means giving parents the power and opportunity to choose the school their child will attend. The school options available to parents varies widely but are often comprised of public, private, charters, magnets, voucher programs and more. The Center for Education Reform has a simple and easy to digest FAQ around school choice, charter schools and school financing.
Charter Schools: A charter school is a public school. What differentiates a charter school from a typical public school is that it is run by a private organization, not the local school district. Charter schools are public- they are free to students, they are supported by tax payers, and they’re operated to serve their local communities. Charter schools are freed from local school district policies, parts of the state’s education code, and are governed by a board of directors. In exchange for the operating freedoms granted, charter schools are subjected to increased accountability, which they are held to by the state and their private funders.
CMOs: Charter Management Organizations
STEM: Science, Technology, Education and Math
OST: Out-of-school time
ELT: Extended Learning Time
Triple Bottom Line: Organizations that are focused on profits, social impact and environmental sustainability
Blended Learning (also referred to as “integrative learning”, “hybrid learning”, “multi-method learning”) – the mixing and integration of classroom, online and mobile learning environments
Adaptive Learning: Computer-based learning where questions/content is adapted based on student input (such as answers to questions)
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