Since the first charter school in the U.S.—City Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota—opened its doors in 1992, there has been a flurry of activity to offer parents these alternatives to traditional public and private schools. Nineteen states now have some sort of charter school law on the books, with eight of those states having just enacted legislation last spring and early summer. In all, more than 200 charter schools are slated to be in operation this school year, including many that received approvals and opened their doors for the first time. Yet, despite the continued growth of the charter school movement, the verdict is still out on the impact and ultimate fate of these schools.
Infinite Variety
The existing 19 charter laws should not be lumped into a single category; all charter schools are not created equal. In states with so-called stronger charter school laws, entities other than local boards may sponsor the schools, or the schools may have a strong appeals process. These schools are also granted a great deal of financial and legal autonomy, and are automatically free from most state and local rules.
Perhaps as a result there is more charter school activity in these states. For example, in the first six states with laws that granted charter schools more autonomy—Minnesota, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Arizona and Michigan—nearly 250 schools have been approved. (In 1995, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Texas joined this roster.)
In contrast, in the first five states that enacted more restrictive laws—Georgia, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Hawaii, and Kansas—only 18 schools have been approved to date. In these latter states, charter-type schools are often no more than enhanced site-based decision-making experiments; they remain part of the school district, have limited control over budget and personnel matters, and often must seek waivers on a case-by-case basis. (States that passed such “weaker” laws in 1995 include Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Rhode Island, and Wyoming.)
Unlike the one-size-fits-all traditional public school, many charter schools provide the best of what alternative education has to offer—smaller school size, experiential learning, teachers who want to work with students in nontraditional settings—with the added features of true site control, limited regulations, and a contract that demands results. Student populations run from 20 to more than 1,200. Some schools have a special emphasis, such as arts or science (an example, is the Northlane Math and Science Academy in Freeland, Michigan). Others, like the Denver Youth Academy for high-risk students, serve a special population.
Some schools are housed in nontraditional educational facilities, such as community recreation centers or commercial buildings (the Charter School of San Diego, for example has 17 separate sites, many of which are storefronts in shopping malls). Others, having converted from existing schools, are housed in regular school buildings.
Mixed Reviews
A four-year federally-funded national evaluation of charter schools will soon be under way under the direction of a California-based research organization. Meanwhile, a few specialized studies on the impact of these schools have begun to surface. Informal reports relate many positive stories and a few not-so-positive ones.
On the positive side, charter schools have spurred many innovative activities that might have taken place without the impetus of the charter law but did not because the pressure to make them happen wasn't there. For example, many schools have successfully helped students who are not succeeding in the traditional public school setting.
A number of schools are being formed as part of unique community and/or business partnerships. One such school, Skills for Tomorrow Charter School, a vocational/ technical school in Minneapolis, is being run with support from the Teamsters Service Bureau. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is developing a residential charter school, the Woodward Academy, that is slated to open in the Detroit area in 1996.
Some ripple effects across the broader system are also visible. A school in Forest Lake, Minnesota, for example, began offering a Montessori-type program after parents sought to establish such a program under the charter law.
In another positive development, several charter schools have been able to realign their finances so that a larger percentage of existing funds are being focused on teaching. The Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in Los Angeles is one such school. Out of a $4.6 million budget, the school realized a $1 million surplus after lowering its class size and giving its teachers a raise. Student achievement has also improved significantly.
Despite these strides, it is also becoming clear that charter schools are not immune from problems. Some have difficulty managing administrative operations and securing buildings and capital equipment. Indeed, one school, Los Angeles-based Edutrain, had its charter revoked for financial mismanagement. Researchers are also raising questions about the impact of parent contracts, the ability of charter schools to be created in resource-poor communities, and just how innovative these schools really are.
Passions on Both Sides
Across the country, those opposed to the charter school concept are continuing their campaigns to defeat or weaken pending charter school legislation. And once laws are enacted, many opponents are making it difficult for schools to be established.
On the other hand, hundreds of educators believe in the concept so much that they have placed themselves on the front line of accountability: if you don't produce, you lose your job. As one charter school operator said recently, This charter school law is my license to dream—to do what I have always known needed to be done for kids, but was not doable because of the system, too many excuses, and a lack of accountability.
The charter school movement continues. How far and to what end is still uncertain.
