A successful charter school does more than educate and train children: it unites a community. That is the keynote of this bulletin, an edited version of remarks delivered at a luncheon by one of the founders of a charter school in Albany, New York. It describes the process of creating one particular charter school and the lessons learned from the…

Notes how the British Army's Officer Corps, based on elitism and financial standing, brought the British Empire to its knees. Argues that privatization--a for-profit market system to ration out education--would have a similar effect. Suggests that charter schools (with considerable autonomy but still held accountable by the chain of command) are…

Asserts that charter schools provide unique and rich opportunities for Montessori educators to influence public education. Notes obstacles to establishing Montessori charter schools related to loss of funding for the local school district, the difficulty of Montessori teachers obtaining state certification, testing requirements to show student…

A proposed intergenerational learning community is a model for a charter school focused on literacy, artistic studies, technology, environment, and personal wellness. Instructional design includes nongraded, multiage, heterogeneous groupings with flexible looping to support individualized learning. Mentoring and apprenticeships will be featured.…

Policy "alternatives" begin as general ideas, and are inherently distinct from an innovation or reform that has been adopted by policy makers in a specific context in order to serve particular purposes. However, the interplay between the idea itself and that moment in time when it is adopted has often not been fully understood. In this article,…

The changes in the New Orleans public school system are proceeding at break neck speed. There is currently a bill in the Louisiana State Senate which would allow the state to sell, lease, or give New Orleans school buildings to any institution that has operated schools for 25 years. This would be done with a no-bid process. The money would not go…

In the inaugural issue of the "Journal of School Choice," John Merrifield offers an important, insightful, and highly provocative critique of charter schooling in an effort to "get people to think about the issues...and seek additional evidence". In "Charter Laws: Disaster, Detour, Irrelevant, or Reform Tool?" Merrifield maintains that economic…

Reviews the report "Do Charter Schools Measure Up? The Charter School Experiment After 10 Years" created by the American Federation of Teachers. Argues that rather than being serious research, the report is an indictment against charter schools for the purpose of retaining the union's power in public schools. (WFA)

Discusses the concept of charter schools. Highlights basics of the concept of charter schools, legislation helpful to the movement, encouraging results of charter schools now in existence, and a research publication on charter schools. (JW)

Peggy Farber's stories (in the March 1998 "Kappan") about a few individuals at Boston Renaissance Charter School have a place in evaluating the program. However, the real story cannot be drawn from a few isolated, highly selective anecdotes. A balanced evaluation would have framed the discussion around the schools' progress with…

After spending one day weekly during fall 1998 observing how students with disabilities are served in an Edison school, a teacher educator concludes that Nancy Zollers and Arun Ramanathan did the Seven Hills Charter School a great injustice in their December 1998 "Kappan" article. (Contains 17 references.) (MLH)

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…

This annotated video transcript follows the discussion of six experts in community relations and charter schools. The panel was convened as part of an initiative to identify the specific needs of charter-school founders and to develop a leadership-training program designed to address those needs. Each member of the panel shared his or her insights…

This paper examines various claims made by charter-school advocates that charter schools are publicly funded, open to all, are chartered by public entities, and thus are a form of public schooling. It addresses this subject by comparing the rhetoric of Michigan's charter-school reformers with that of the common-school reformers of the 19th…

Argues that market-driven education (charter schools, vouchers) is the most effective, albeit overlooked, reform strategy since publication of "A Nation at Risk." Describes corresponding growth of for-profit school management. Offers several recommendations to improve effectiveness of market-based reforms, such as state' continuing…