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##  Perspectives on Charter Schools: A Review for Parents. ERIC Digest.          

In recent years, many parents, educators, students, researchers, and            observers have reached the same conclusion: Traditional schools do              not work for all students (Finn et al., 2000; B. Nelson et al.,                 2000). As a result, many states have passed laws enabling the                   development of charter schools as an attempt to better meet the                 needs of those students who are not being adequately served by                  traditional schools. Although the number of charter schools has                 grown in the last few years, it still is sometimes unclear what they            have to offer students, parents, and educators that more traditional            schools do not already provide. This Digest offers some general                 information on charter schools, discusses how they have been                    perceived, and summarizes the results of research on them. WHAT IS            A CHARTER SCHOOL?A charter school is a public school of choice              established through a contract that specifies the operating                     procedures of the school and the length of time that the school will            receive public support. In most cases, a state or a local school                board issues the individual school's contract or charter. Some                  states have created school boards specifically responsible for                  monitoring charter schools (B. Nelson et al., 2000). 
As described             by Finn et al. (2000), a charter school is considered a hybrid of               public and private schools. Like public schools, charter schools are            open to all students, although some may have a specific focus that              is likely to appeal to some families more than others. However,                 charter schools are similar to private schools in that they are                 independent and self-governing, and the students, parents, and                  teachers choose to participate in the school. Unlike either                     traditional public or private schools, charter schools are viewed by            some as more accountable for student performance because the school             may be closed if it fails to produce promised or desired                        results (Finn et al., 2000). 
Currently, 37 states plus the                    District of Columbia and Puerto Rico allow for the founding of                  charter schools (B. Nelson et al., 2000; Sandham, 2001). Charter                school legislation differs in each state, but most states allow                 charter schools to be established by public, private, or civic                  organizations. School districts, colleges and universities,                     community groups, and parent groups have chosen to launch charter               schools (Finn et al., 2000; Schneider, 1999). For the most part,                charter schools are either newly created schools or pre-existing                public or private schools that convert to charter status for greater            autonomy or access to public funds (Northwest Regional Education                Laboratory [NWREL], 2000). The federal government sees charter                  schools as a way of increasing school choice and plans to provide               funding to assist charter schools (Bush, 2001). 
Many charter                  schools were founded to decrease existing achievement gaps by                   improving the educational opportunities available to certain                    segments of the student population or to promote specific social                skills as well as academics. Examples of charter school agendas                 include serving hard-to-educate students, teaching a multicultural              curriculum, and promoting a curriculum that emphasizes conflict                 resolution and other social skills (Schneider, 1999). Some of these             schools have also established contracts with for-profit companies to            provide many of their services, including food service, curriculum,             or management. WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT CHARTER                           SCHOOLS?Since the first charter school law was passed in 1991,              charter schools have continued to gain national interest and                    support. Proponents believe that charter schools are a practical                alternative to traditional schools because they allow parents to                choose the schools their children attend without having to pay                  tuition. Supporters also contend that they help to promote                      improvements in public education by increasing competition among                schools (Finn et al., 2000; Lasley & Bainbridge, 2001). 
Opponents             contend that charter schools may have a damaging effect on public               education. While charter schools increase school choice, some argue             that they also direct resources away from urban and rural public                schools that serve students from low- income families. Furthermore,             the fact that over half of the current charter schools serve only               elementary-grade students suggests that they have not had a                     significant impact on school choice at the middle and high school               levels (Lasley & Bainbridge, 2001). 
Another criticism of charter              schools is that they lack stability. Since 1992, 59 charter schools             have opened and closed; 27 schools closed during the 1998-1999                  school year alone (B. Nelson et al., 2000). Many closures appear to             have resulted from serious management or financial problems (Archer,            2000). Financing is often a major concern since most charter schools            do not receive funds to cover facilities and other related                      expenses (Finn et al., 2000). In addition, most state funding                   policies give no consideration to the costs of facilities,                      transportation, and resources for at-risk or special education                  students when approving charter school budgets (F. Nelson et al.,               2000). 
Even so, many charter schools have learned to operate                  successfully by reducing their costs. Some strategies used to lower             costs include hiring uncertified teachers, using parents and other              volunteers instead of paid staff in uncertified positions, and                  providing only academic/classroom-related services. WHAT DOES THE             RESEARCH SAY ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS?Most research on charter                 schools has compared regulations governing charter schools in                   different states, assessed parent satisfaction, described how these             schools differ from and affect traditional public schools, assessed             how well charter schools serve specific populations of students, or             discussed the place these schools have in public education (Cheung              et al., 1998; Fiore et al., 2000; Jennings et al., 1998; Borsa et               al., 1999; B. Nelson et al., 2000; Rhim & McLaughlin, 2000;                     Zollers & Ramanathan, 1998). 
Research data on charter schools to              date have generally been gathered through the use of surveys and                questionnaires. Because of the short length of charter schools'                 existence and differing approaches to assessment, it is difficult to            determine whether or not attending charter schools improves student             academic performance. 
In one of the few studies that examined                 academic achievement, Cheung et al. (1998) used surveys to assess               the impact charter schools have on student achievement. They                    concluded that students enrolled in 21 of 31 charter schools studied            improved performance on two rounds of the same standardized                     achievement tests since entering the charter school. But the authors            warn against making achievement comparisons between charter school              students and those who attend other public schools. For example,                charter schools that serve low-income families or students who do               not speak English at home may be viewed as academically unsuccessful            when compared with local district schools serving a broader range of            students (Cheung et al., 1998). 
For the most part, researchers                seem to agree that parents who use charter schools are satisfied                with them because they get to choose the schools for                            themselves (Finn et al., 2000; Teske et al., 2000). Some parents                also believe that charter schools provide a more culturally                     sensitive education and environment than traditional                            schools (Schnaiberg, 2000). 
Another common research area related              to charter schools is special education. Many state charter laws                make little or no mention of how these schools are expected to serve            students with disabilities. Many charter schools choose to                      discourage students with disabilities from enrolling or do not                  comply with federal special education statutes because they feel                these services are too costly to provide (Jennings et al., 1998;                Rhim & McLaughlin, 2000; Zollers & Ramanathan, 1998). Although it is            illegal for public schools to discriminate when enrolling students,             many charter schools are not prepared to serve students with                    disabilities. 
Other notable research findings include the                     following: 
* Charter schools may deter some minority, poor, and               working families from seeking enrollment by requiring them to                   complete volunteer hours and failing to provide transportation and              free lunches to eligible students (Schnaiberg, 2000). 
* The racial            composition of charter schools tends to follow the same patterns                found in local area public schools (B. Nelson et al., 2000). 
*                Most charter schools do not require their teachers to be                        certified (Borsa et al., 1999). FOR MORE INFORMATIONArcher,               J. (2000). Accountability measures vary widely. EDUCATION WEEK,                 19(36), 1, 18-20. 
Borsa, J., Ahmed, M., & Perry, K. (1999,                    August). CHARTER SCHOOL GOVERNANCE. Paper presented at the annual               meeting of the National Council of Professors of Educational                    Administration, Jackson Hole, WY. ED 436 856. 
Bush, G. W. (2001).             NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND [Online]. Available:                                       http://ed.gov/inits/nclb/titlepage.html. 
Cheung, S., Murphy, M.               E., & Nathan, J. (1998). MAKING A DIFFERENCE? CHARTER SCHOOLS,                  EVALUATION, AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE. Minneapolis, MN: Center for                School Change. ED 419 296. 
Finn, C. E., Manno, B. V., & Vanourek,             G. (2000). CHARTER SCHOOLS IN ACTION: RENEWING PUBLIC EDUCATION.                Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ED 451 273. 
Fiore, T.              A., Harwell, L. A., Blackorby, J., & Finnigan, K. S. (2000). CHARTER            SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: A NATIONAL STUDY.                       Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement.                 Available: http://www.uscharterschools.org/                                     pdf/fr/sped_natl_study.pdf. 
Jennings, W., Premack, E., Adelmann,              A., & Solomon, D. (1998). A COMPARISON OF CHARTER SCHOOL                        LEGISLATION: THIRTY-THREE STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA                   INCORPORATING LEGISLATIVE CHANGES THROUGH OCTOBER 1998. Washington,             DC: U.S. Department of Education. 
Lasley, T. J., II, & Bainbridge,            W. L. (2001). Unintended consequences. EDUCATION WEEK, 19(33), 38,              42. 
Nelson, B., Berman, P., Ericson, J., Kamprath, N., Perry, R.,             Silverman, D., & Solomon, D. (2000). THE STATE OF CHARTER SCHOOLS               2000: FOURTH-YEAR REPORT. Washington, DC: Office of Educational                 Research and Improvement. Available: http://                                    www.ed.gov/pubs/charter4thyear/. ED 437 724. 
Nelson, F. H., Muir,             E., & Drown, R. (2000). VENTURESOME CAPITAL: STATE CHARTER SCHOOL               FINANCE SYSTEMS. Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and             Improvement. ED 448 514. 
Northwest Regional Education                         Laboratory (NWREL). (2000). CHARTER SCHOOLS [Online]. Available:                http://www.nwrel.org/charter/. 
Rhim, L. M., & McLaughlin, M.                  J. (2000). CHARTER SCHOOLS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION: BALANCING                     DISPARATE VISIONS. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State                Directors of Special Education. ED 444 297. 
Sandham, J. L. (2001).            Indiana legislature passes charter school law. EDUCATION WEEK,                  20(32), 20, 23. 
Schnaiberg, L. (2000). Charter schools: Choice,               diversity may be at odds. EDUCATION WEEK, 19(35), 1,                            18-20. 
Schneider, J. (1999). Five prevailing charter types. SCHOOL            ADMINISTRATOR, 56(7), 29-31. EJ 589 466. 
Teske, P., Schneider, M.,            Buckley, J., & Clark, S. (2000). Does charter school competition                improve traditional public schools? New York: Center for Civic                  Innovation at the Manhattan Institute. Available:                               http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_10.htm. 
U.S. Charter               Schools [Online]. (2000). Available:                                            http://www.uscharterschools.org. 
Zollers, N. J., & Ramanathan, A.             K. (1998). For-profit charter schools and students with                         disabilities. PHI DELTA KAPPAN, 80(4), 297-304. EJ 577                          268. 
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ERIC Digests are in the public domain and may be                 freely reproduced. 
This project has been funded at least in part              with Federal Funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of             Educational Research and Improvement, under contract number                     ED-99-CO-0020. The content of this publication does not necessarily             reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education,              nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or                        organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.                      **Title:** Perspectives on Charter Schools: A Review for Parents. ERIC Digest.          **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education,                 Children's Research Center, University of Illinois, 51 Gerty Dr.,               Champaign, IL 61820-7469. Tel: 800-583-4135 (Toll Free); Tel:                   217-333-1386; Fax: 217-333-3767; Web site: http://ericeece.org;                 e-mail: [email protected]. For full text:                                       http://ericeece.org/pubs/digests.html.                                       **Descriptors:**  Charter Schools,  Educational Attitudes, Educational Legislation,              Educational Research, Elementary Secondary Education, Nontraditional            Education, Parent School Relationship,  School Effectiveness, School            Organization                                                                 **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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