On average, the funding gap between charter schools and traditional schools is 22 percent, or $1,800 per pupil. The average charter school ends up with a total funding shortfall of nearly half a million dollars.
Source: Charter School Funding: Inequity’s Next Frontier
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Whatever it Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth
Nationally, only about two-thirds of all students who enter 9th grade graduate with regular high school diplomas four years later, with some minority populations faring far worse. In 2001, African American students had a graduation rate of 50 percent, the lowest of all racial and ethnic groups identified. This report documents high school dropout challenges and describes what twelve communities are doing to reconnect dropouts to education and employment training. The report details charter school programs focused on at-risk and out-of-school youth in several cities, including Austin, Dayton, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia. The authors find that charter schools enjoy "flexibility and relative freedom from overbearing administrative authority" and that makes them a "potentially attractive alternative to the curricular rigidities in many city school systems."
The Virtual Revolution: Understanding Online Schools
This article examines the history, evolution, demographics, effectiveness, and impact of virtual schooling. The authors report that as of November 2005, the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) listed 157 unique online learning programs in 42 states in its database, including 32 virtual charter schools. They profile two established virtual charter schools: Minnesota's Cyber Village Academy, which was originally set up to be the first online learning charter school to serve seriously ill children, and Alaska's Delta Cyber School which serves 425 students statewide in grades K–12. They cite an increasing body of research that supports the apparent effectiveness of online programs. However, they say it is clear that more data and more rigorous methodological approaches are needed. Virtual schools clearly are not for everyone (nor are they meant to be), but they may be the best opportunity for success for those who need them.
Making Sense of Charter Schools: Evidence from California
This "Occasional Paper" from the RAND Corporation assesses the state of charter schools in California. The results show that test scores for California's charter school students are keeping pace with comparable students in traditional district schools. Researchers found that the state's charter schools have achieved comparable test score results with fewer public resources and have emphasized non-core subjects more than have traditional schools. In addition, they found evidence that charter schools have not created "white enclaves" or "skimmed" high-performing students from traditional district schools as some opponents had feared. RAND's findings, coupled with the fact that charter schools typically use less public resources, leads them to the conclusion that "charter schooling is a reform initiative worth continuing in California."
Evaluation of the Delaware Charter School Reform: Year Two Report
This study, finds, for the second year in a row, that Delaware's charter schools are doing a better job of improving achievement than traditional public schools in several areas. The most dramatic results are in grade 10, in which charter schools far outpace their traditional counterparts. For the middle grades, results favor charter schools, particularly in reading. Students in the state's elementary charter schools perform similarly or slightly less well when compared with demographically matched district students. The study, which also examined the growth and impact of the state's charters, found that as a group charters enroll more minority students as a percentage of their overall enrollment. District schools were found to have higher percentages of low income students, students with special educational needs, and students who have limited English proficiency.
How Segregated are Michigan's Schools? Changes in Enrollment from 1992-93 to 2004-05.
A new study examines the distribution of Michigan's African-American students in public charter and district schools and finds segregation is increasing. The state had 431 schools that were at least 80 percent black in 2004-05, compared to 294 in 1992-93. Of the 137-school increase, 87 were charter schools. Black students make up 55 percent of the charter school population, compared to 19 percent statewide. Most segregated charters are located in or near high-poverty urban areas (Detroit and Flint) where most of the district public schools are also segregated. The percentage of African American students attending segregated schools has declined slightly statewide since 1992-93, but 60 percent of all African American students in Michigan are still attending segregated schools.
Holding Charter Authorizers Accountable: Why It Is Important And How It Might Be Done
This paper outlines a range of approaches a state might try to improve charter authorizer practice through accountability. A state might increase authorizer accountability by forcing authorizers to provide more data and transparency; focusing on management reviews; focusing on outcomes; or, creating a marketplace of competing authorizers. The author warns that any new authorizer accountability practice needs to be crafted with caution as there is the potential for several negative consequences, including reviews by bureaucrats who do not understand or support chartering and authorizer policies that discourage sponsors from taking reasonable risks for the sake of innovation. She suggests that one reasonable strategy is to start with the least intense approach—mandated disclosure—and see if the resulting improvements are sufficient to protect students and the integrity of the charter school experiment. If not, other approaches should be tried.
Raising the Bar: Charter School Law 2006 Ranking and Scorecard
The Center for Education Reform has released its annual ranking and scorecard of the nation’s 41 charter school laws. Based on dozens of criteria, 21 states made an "A" or "B." The scores of several state laws dropped, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Texas, due to lack of initiatives designed to ensure equity, freedom and growth. The report discusses states with failing laws and the nine states that have no charter school legislation. The document is available for $39.95. Companion reports, "Charter School Closures: The Opportunity for Accountability" and the "Annual Survey of Amerca's Charter Schools" are also available for a fee.
The Political Economy of School Choice: Support for Charter Schools Across States and School Districts
Using demographic, financial, political, and performance data from 1980-2004, the authors of this paper examine the various forces in states and districts associated with the support (or lack of support) for charter schools. They find that there are several sources for the expanding charter school movement. One sizable contributor is the increase in population heterogeneity, both within states and within districts. States with growing income inequality and a rising Hispanic population were more likely to pass stronger laws. Systemically low student achievement also fuels the growth of charters. States with poor performance on the SAT and higher dropout rates were more likely to pass stronger laws. Having a highly unionized teaching force was found to reduce the likelihood that a charter law passes at the state level, but once a law was in place, highly unionized districts were more likely to have charter schools emerge within their boundaries.
State Briefs 2005: How Do Your State's Charter Schools Compare?
The National Charter School Research Project has compiled a database of briefs on how each state's charter schools compare to other states. Data is provided on recent charter school enrollment, student demographics and how each state's charter schools are unique. State contacts are also listed.
Choice and Competition in American Education
This book, a group of essays originally published in the journal "Education Next: A Journal of Opinion and Research," examines the benefits and challenges of school choice and competition. Most topics, from charter schools to vouchers to teacher unions, are arranged with one essay making the case for change, and a second essay pointing out its possible pitfalls. The collection brings together leading experts in American education. John Chubb of Edison Schools, Inc. writes about unleashing the power of private industry in education, while Bruno Manno of the Annie E. Casey Foundation examines charter school politics. The volume is edited by Paul E. Peterson, director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University.
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