All the parents had children who attended Franklin's public schools, and they often talked about what they thought were the school system's shortcomings. Today 35 states have passed charter-school laws, and more than 1,100 charter schools are up and running in 26 states and the District of Columbia. Funded with tax dollars, the schools operate autonomously rather than under the authority of the local school district. Charter schools have proved to be one of the most popular approaches to public-school reform. School districts with expanded school choice, voucher programs and commercially run schools have multiplied, too, albeit more slowly.
Reforms still reach only a small percentage of public-school students.
But when local schools aren't challenging enough, or are underfunded, too crowded or otherwise unsatisfactory, a growing number of parents are choosing not to bolt to a big-bucks private school or relocate to another school district. In Franklin, Mass., and Washington, D.C., the parents profiled in this story elected to roll up their sleeves and improve the schools their tax dollars already pay for. For the parents who started the school. With a combination. . . The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc.