Applying Federal Civil Rights Laws to Public Charter Schools: Questions and Answers. (Office of Civil Rights).
As part of the U.S. Department of Education's and the U.S. Department of Justice's efforts to support innovation and choice within the public school system, this publication provides important information on how public charter schools may be developed and operated consistent with federal nondiscrimination laws. The purpose of this publication is to assist charter school developers and operators by making available a summary of civil rights issues applicable to public schools. http://www.uscharterschools.org/cs/uscsp/query/q/121?&x-title=Guidance+on+Federal+Programs
THE EVALUATION CENTER WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY , AUTONOMY IN EXCHANGE FOR ACCOUNTABILITY: AN INITIAL STUDY OF PENNSYLVANIA CHARTER SCHOOLS (March 2001)
NOTE: THIS IS THE FULL 318 PAGE REPORT. DEPENDING ON YOUR CONNECTION IT MAY TAKE TIME TO DOWNLOAD!
Pennsylvania's most comprehensive report on charter schools since their inception in 1997 shows mixed signs on the satisfaction of parents, teachers and students with this new kind of public school - regarded by proponents as safer and more innovative, and as offering better opportunities for children.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer(3/24/2001), the report provides little conclusive information on whether students are performing better as a result of being in charters rather than in regular public schools. At times, the study cited conclusions that seemed contradictory. For example, while nearly half the teachers don't think their school has "good administrative leadership," 70 percent commend those who run their schools as hardworking and committed to high standards. And while 90 percent of parents who responded to the study said the quality of instruction in their charter was high and that their child received adequate attention, the schools have high student turnover.
THE CENTER FOR EDUCATION REFORM, CHARTER SCHOOL LAWS ACROSS THE STATES: RANKING SCORE CARD AND LEGISLATIVE PROFILES, PUBLICATION PENDING (APRIL 2001).
A new ranking of the nation's 38 charter laws just released by The Center for Education Reform provides important information about what makes up a strong charter school law. After ten years of experience, those states with multiple chartering authorities and few limits on the number of schools permitted have generated the greatest number of charter schools.
TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION, NAVIGATING NEWLY CHARTERED WATERS: AN ANALYSIS OF TEXAS CHARTER SCHOOL PERFORMANCE (MAY 2001).
This report summarizes the key findings of a study of charter schools in Texas over their first four years of existence, 1996-97 through 1999-2000. The study compiles information on the charter school market, including characteristics of students served. It also investigates student performance from a variety of perspectives, and evaluates the cost efficiency of charter school performance.
A caveat is in order. Charter schools are new entrants in the market for educational services in Texas. This means that charter schools are all either new or recently established. There were initially few students in charter schools, and currently there are still relatively few students in charters compared to traditional public schools, although the number of charter students has grown significantly. This investigation of charters is an early look at this emerging market sector. As such, this investigation is preliminary, based on a relatively small number of observations of charter schools and charter students, based on a limited number of performance measures, and based on an industry that has only just begun to operate and that is still growing and evolving rapidly.
For more information, and you should get more, visit The Texas Public Policy Foundation, http://www.tppf.org/.
RPP INTERNATIONAL. CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY: THE IMPACT OF CHARTER SCHOOLS ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS. A REPORT OF THE NATIONAL STUDY OF CHARTER SCHOOLS (JUNE 2001).
(The charter school movement is one of the fastest growing education reform efforts in the United States. Charter schools are tuition-free public schools freed from regulation in exchange for greater accountability. Proponents contend that charter schools may not only provide families and students with another educational choice but also promote change in the public education system as a whole, thus benefiting all students. Educational theorists suggest that charter schools will induce systemic change by providing more educational choices, creating competitive market forces, and serving as examples from which other public schools can learn. This report is an exploratory effort to gain a deeper understanding of how some charter schools have affected the public school districts surrounding them).
LEWIS SOLOMON, KERN PAARK, DAVID GARCIA, THE GOLDWATER INSTITUTE, DOES CHARTER SCHOOL ATTENDANCE IMPROVE TEST SCORES? (March 2001).
The data in this report show that when compared to district school students, charter school students are making greater gains in reading and are making about the same gains in math. The study demonstrates that the academic gains are greater the longer a student attends a charter school. The data does not show this positive cumulative result in district school students. The study also provides information about the effects of mobility on student achievement, both between and among charter and district schools. The data show that mobility, generally, has a negative effect on student achievement, but mobility within the charter sector is usually better than stability in a district school. For more information visit the Goldwater Institute's Education Research and the Center for Market-Based Education .
MARY GIFFORD, KARLA PHILLIPS, THE GOLDWATER INSTITUTE, FIVE YEAR CHARTER SCHOOL STUDY (Nov. 2000).
The country's most comprehensive report of mature schools is now available. This study analyzes the evolution of Arizona's schools completing the fifth year of operation.
DAVID A. DESCHRYVER, STRONG CHARTER SCHOOL LAWS: A NECESSARY CONDITION FOR THE "RIPPLE EFFECT," 11 Stan. L. & Pol'y Rev. 311, (Stanford Law & Policy Review Spring, 2000 Symposium).
This paper documents the early impact charter schools are having on traditional schools and districts. There is an ripple effect, and this ripple is a consequence of a strong state charter school law. Wonder what that all means? Read the paper.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, NATIONAL STUDY OF CHARTER SCHOOLS: FOURTH YEAR REPORT (2000).
This is the final installment of a four-year study by RPP International, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. This document provides descriptive information on charter schools that were operating during the 1998-99 school year. It focuses on growth trends, characteristics of charter schools.
BRIAN P. GILL, P. MICHAEL TIMPANE, KAREN E. ROSS, DOMINIC J. BREWER. RHETORIC VERSUS REALITY: WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VOUCHERS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS (Dec. 2001).
Download the summary on the left. See and order the entire report at the site listed below.
(From the summary: Conceptually and structurally, vouchers and charters challenge the “common school” model that has been the basis for the American public-education system for most of the nation’s history. Opponents fear that privatizing the governance and operation of schools will undermine their public purposes; supporters believe that autonomously operated voucher and charter schools can serve the public purposes of the educational system even though they are not owned and operated by government. Policymakers need empirical information on the effects of vouchers and charters if they are to assess their merits and resolve this dispute.
This book has four aims. First, we identify and articulate the range of empirical questions that ought to be answered to fully assess the wisdom of policies promoting vouchers or charter schools, thereby establishing a theoretical framework that accounts for the multiple purposes of public education. Second, we examine the existing empirical evidence on these questions, providing a broad assessment of what is currently known about the effects of vouchers and charters in terms of academic achievement and otherwise. Third, we discuss the important empirical questions that are as yet unresolved and consider the prospects for answering them in the future. Fourth, we explore the design details of voucher and charter policies, concluding with recommendations for policymakers considering their enactment.)
