Charter schools with ties to religious groups raise fears about state funds' use
12:00 AM CST on Monday, November 22, 2010
Students at Duncanville's Advantage Academy follow biblical principles, talk openly about faith and receive guidance from a gregarious former pastor who still preaches when he speaks.
Frisco's Elevate Life Church, where a 10-story cathedral is under construction, will house Leadership Prep School next fall. Church officials say it's a tenant-renter relationship. " style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; cursor: pointer; ">But his congregation is a swath of low-income students. And his sermon is an educator's mantra about the opportunities of charter schools.
Advantage's state-funded campuses showcase the latest breed of charter schools, born from faith-based principles and taxpayer funds. More than 20 percent of Texas' charter schools have some kind of religious ties. That's the case for six of the seven approved this year, including ones in Frisco and Arlington.
Church-charter partnerships are springing up across the country as private institutions lose funding and nontraditional education models grow in popularity. Their emergence
