Unfortunately, Pepsi-Cola decided to drop its support even though parents were already showing interest in the program. I think the incident shows that private scholarships are still too controversial for large companies. He was joined by the Business Roundtable, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. The announcement was path-breaking, and should help open the door to more corporate support of school choice. Q. Some education reformers are looking to charter schools as an option for students.
Charter schools are public schools that are relatively free of state or district oversight.
They are under performance contracts with their respective state or chartering body, and thus have a high degree of accountability to parents and the public. There are now about 234 charter schools in operation. Nine states have fairly strong laws that allow businesses, nonprofits, universities, or groups of teachers to set up charter schools, or that allow public or private schools to convert to charter schools. Teachers in those states are also free of collective bargaining and union rules. Ten other states, including Georgia, Missouri, and Wisconsin, have weaker laws and consequently fewer charter schools.