Minnesota's experience is not unique. In Michigan too, where there are 138 charters in operation, a number of school districts have been retooling to compete with charters. That's not to say charters have revolutionized every market they've entered. Eric Rofes, visiting professor of education at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, conducted interviews in 25 school districts across the country in an effort to gauge the impact of charters. While about 20 percent of the districts he surveyed have made significant changes in response to the existence of the charter schools, a full half showed little or no impact.
Students receive keyboard help from a music specialist.
He adds, however, that this is easing. He views as positive new federal funding of programs to encourage more professional exchange between charters and traditional schools. Rofes notes that the picture varies widely by state. Minnesota, he says, offers many public-education options, creating a climate more conducive to change. Other areas he's watching are Arizona, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia.