CHARTER SCHOOLS
As defined by the organization U.S. Charter Schools: "Charter schools are nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. The "charter" establishing each such school is a performance contract detailing the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. The length of time for which charters are granted varies, but most are granted for 3-5 years. At the end of the term, the entity granting the charter may renew the school's contract. Charter schools are accountable to their sponsor-- usually a state or local school board-- to produce positive academic results and adhere to the charter contract. The basic concept of charter schools is that they exercise increased autonomy in return for this accountability. They are accountable for both academic results and fiscal practices to several groups: the sponsor that grants them, the parents who choose them, and the public that funds them."
Following are some publications and organizations to help you learn more about charter schools. We will continue to add content, so come back again soon.
PUBLICATIONS
Study Finds No Clear Edge for Charter Schools News Article | Lesli A. Maxwell | Education Week | June 29, 2010 Students who won lotteries to attend charter middle schools performed, on average, no better in mathematics and reading than their peers who lost out in the random admissions process and enrolled in nearby regular public schools, according to a national study released today.
KIPP Middle Schools Found to Spur Learning Gains News Article | Mary Ann Zehr | Education Week | June 22, 2010
Students’ gains in mathematics after three years in a charter school run by the Knowledge Is Power Program, or KIPP, are large enough in about half of schools to significantly narrow race- and income-based achievement gaps among students, according to a study of 22 KIPP middle schools nationwide.
What makes a charter school succeed?
Issue Brief | Don Soifer | Lexington Institute | October 26, 2009
Charter schools that pay teachers flexibly based on evaluations of their performance showed among the study’s strongest positive effects on student achievement, compared with schools that use a strict salary schedule determined by teachers’ seniority and credentials.
Brighter Choices in Albany
Article | Peter Meyer | Education Next | September 2009
When it comes to charter schools, Albany, New York is one heck of a role model. It's not just that that small city (not quite 100,000 people) has eight top notch charters; it's also that those schools serve about a quarter of the city's students and serve them well—earning top marks on state assessments, far superior to those of district schools enrolling similar youngsters. But none of this was accidental.
Source: Thomas B. Fordham Institute | Education Gadfly | Volume 9, Number 32 | September 10, 2009
Charter Schools in Eight States: Effects on Achievement, Attainment, Integration, and Competition
Study | RAND Corporation| Ron Zimmer, Brian Gill, Kevin Booker, Stephane Lavertu, Tim Sass, and John Witte | 2009
This longitudinal study seeks to answer four questions: What are the characteristics of students transferring to charter schools? What effect do charter schools have on test-score gains for students who transfer in from traditional public schools (TPSs), and vice versa? What is the effect of attending a charter high school on the probability of graduating and entering college? And what effect does the introduction of charter schools have on test scores of students in nearby TPSs? The findings are a mixed bag. For example, charter schools, for the most part, don't "skim off" the highest-achieving students but also don't tend to perform any better than TPSs (although performance does improve with the longevity of the school, as one would expect). To look at graduation rates . . . there was a positive relationship between attendance at a charter middle school and the likelihood of graduating and enrolling in college. Finally, they found that charters have little competitive effects on nearby TPSs. This is a meaty report with loads more information, potentially useful to anyone with an interest in charter schools, albeit a lukewarm accolade for this education reform strategy.
Source:Thomas B. Fordham Foundation | Education Gadfly | Amber Winkler | Volume 9, Number 11. March 26, 2009
Accountability Lies at the Heart of Charter School Success
Center for Education Reform | Jeanne Allen, Alison Consoletti, and Kara Kerwin | 2009
Nearly 18 years since the first charter school opened, individual state data indicates that charter schools are outpacing their conventional public school peers with fewer resources and tremendous obstacles. The data also proves charter schools are being held accountable for these results.
A Charter School Q&A: Examining Charter Schools in Texas and the Nation
Texas Public Policy Foundation | Brooke Dollens Terry | March 2009
Although the concept of charter schools has been around since 1991,* most Americans know very little about charter schools. A 2008 national poll conducted for Education Next and Harvard University found 41 percent of Americans were undecided on charters, neither supporting nor opposing the formation of charter schools. Another recent national poll by the Center for Education Reform found that only 20 percent of Americans can correctly identify a charter school as a public school. This paper draws from multiple sources to educate policymakers, the public, and the media about charter schools from a national perspective and a Texas perspective.
Charter School Gaps
Texas Public Policy Foundation | Brooke Dollens Terry & John Kim | February 2009
A charter cap is a ceiling on the number of charters that the state or charter authorizer may grant and/or a limit on student enrollment. Caps are artifi cial limits on charter school growth with no connection to charter school quality or growing student and parental demand. Most charter school laws originally included some type of cap resulting from political tradeoff s, not because it was good education policy. This study will talk about the states with, and without charter caps.
ORGANIZATIONS
Center for Education Reform
The Center for Education Reform drives the creation of better educational opportunities for all children by leading parents, policymakers and the media in boldly advocating for school choice, advancing the charter school movement, and challenging the education establishment.
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is a national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement.
National Association of Charter School Authorizers
The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) is a professional organization of authorizers and other education leaders who work to achieve quality public charter schools.
National Charter Schools Institute
The National Charter School Institute works with charter schools leaders and boards to provide training, policy development, and technical assistance.
US Charter Schools
The US Charter Schools Web site is a valuable source of information and knowledge for charter school developers, operators, parents, researchers and policy makers. Specifically, this web site provides a wide range of information and links to resources to guide charter schools in every phase of their development, from start-up, to expansion, to renewal.