Edith Graybill, English instructor at the Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn, Michigan, speaks about her school's English language arts curriculum, the influence of the school on the role of English language arts, the theories of teaching and learning used at the Academy, and other related topics. She believes that most of the students appreciate…

Until recently, charter schools have served a small percentage of public school students in any given community, but that is changing. Recent data indicate that the market share of public school students enrolled in charter schools is climbing. The growth of the charter school movement behooves us to consider how such a change in the educational…

This book contains evidence about charter schools that can provide important data on evaluating this new public-private hybrid and its success at serving the core purpose of public education. The book focuses on charter schools in Michigan, which is regarded as having one of the most permissive charter laws in the country. The first three chapters…

This is the final report of a one-year evaluation of the Michigan Public School Academy (PSA) initiative. The evaluation involved both formative and summative evaluations and used both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study was conducted between October 1997 and December 1998. Data-collection methods included a charter-school survey and a…

Over 166,000 students attend charter schools. President Clinton has called for the creation of 3,000 charter schools by 2000. This article examines effects of "weak" versus "strong" charter-school laws, discusses charters' pros and cons, explains funding challenges, and reviews preliminary findings on charter schools'…

"The Achiever" is a monthly publication for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. Highlights of this issue include: (1) President Signs College Cost Reduction Act; (2) Galvanizing the Community: Charter Schools Provides Greater Choice to Colorado Latinos…

Charter schools remain politically controversial in Michigan. The controversy focuses on questions of choice and accountability. Advocates assert that parents should have choices--especially poor parents who otherwise lack good options. Critics argue that charter schools perform no better than regular public schools, or that they are…

The recent flap over the American Federation of Teachers' (AFT) charter school report is surprising, not because the study used the wrong methods or reached the wrong conclusions, it didn't, but because AFT's conclusions are nothing new. The AFT study "is" the first to use the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) as its…

This report contains the typology of charter schools that were sought, based on Carpenter's careful sorting of 1,182 charter schools, representing 87 percent of all those operating in 2001-2002 in the five states (Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, and Texas) that then accounted for the lion's share of U.S. charter schools. Carpenter sorted…

This article explores how the law currently influences accountability in three different privatization contexts: (1) private schools operated independently of the state; (2) public schools operated by private organizations under charter or subcontract with government entities; and (3) private schools participating in publicly-funded voucher…

This study sought to determine whether increased competition among Michigan public schools, resulting from charter schools and the state's "schools-of-choice" program, has improved educational opportunities for children and whether competition encourages or discourages schools to respond to the needs and demands of students and parents.…

To date, few studies have quantitatively examined within-group differences among charter schools. This is largely due to the lack of a workable typology with which to describe and classify schools. This study fills that gap with a two dimensional typology constructed from a sample of 1182 charter schools in five states--Arizona, California,…

Examined whether Michigan's elementary charter schools' expenditures differ from those of comparable-enrollment local districts. During 1995-96, charters spent an average of 57 percent of revenues on instruction and about 43 percent on support services, compared to 65 and 35 percent for comparable districts. Charters' administrative expenditures…

Proponents of school reform have argued that charter schools can provide adequate market pressure to improve the performance of traditional public schools. While the number of charter schools and their student enrollment have burgeoned, relatively little attention has been paid to their effects on student achievement. This paper focuses on student…

This paper examines school choice reforms in one key state, within the broader context of public education and privatization. Choice advocates describe the public nature of charter schools in terms of access, funding, choice, and effects. Critics see charter schools as precursors to more market-based reforms such as vouchers. In reviewing the…