Open enrollment charter schools are monitored and accredited under the statewide testing and accountability system, just like traditional public schools. Accountability is critical for charter schools because if these schools do not improve student achievement they are at risk of having their charter terminated. As of the most recent publication…

Meta-analysis is a method of quantitatively summarizing the results of experimental research. This article summarizes four meta-analyses published since 2003 that compare the effect of DE and traditional education (TE) on student learning. Despite limitations, synthesis of these meta-analyses establish, at the very least, equivalent learning…

Plagued by long-term poor student outcomes, a number of reforms have been implemented within the Philadelphia School District to improve performance, including the use of charter schools. The number of charter schools in Philadelphia has risen from four to more than 60 over the past decade, and these schools now serve over 30,000 students. Debate…

The purpose of this study was to gain an in depth knowledge of the day to day activities of home school families in order to better understand the instructional approaches, curriculum decisions, and challenges. Four themes were addressed: motivations, operations, resources, and challenges. Findings about motivations to home school included: (a)…

The Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University conducted a large-scale analysis of the impact of charter schools on student performance. The center's data covered 65-70% of the nation's charter schools. Although results varied by state, 17% of the charter school students have significantly higher math results than …

Home education is a well established phenomenon in Australia but little is known about the movement of students between home schooling and formal education and how students view and handle the transitions. A sociocultural theoretical framework has been used to explore student perceptions of their transition experiences between formal education and…

This study compares achievement levels for high ability students attending charter schools and students in traditional public schools in Georgia. Researchers examined student achievement (as assessed by the state's Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests) using three comparison groups: students in the closest traditional schools with similar grade…

Since the passage of the first Charter School Law in Minnesota in 2001, there have been many studies that have examined the effect of Charter schools on student achievement with very mixed results. The Missouri legislature passed legislation in 1998 permitting the establishment of charter schools in a metropolitan school district or in an urban…

Most research on charter schools, and the most intense public debate over their desirability, has focused on the impact of these new schools on the students who attend them. But charter proponents also hope that the threat of students' leaving will spur traditional schools to higher levels of achievement. In the long run, such system-wide…

A commitment to either traditional or innovative education practice virtually defines the professional identities of most educators, writes Ferrero. Traditional practices emphasize basic skills, ability grouping, subject-matter disciplines, academic mastery, standardized testing, and a canonical curriculum; innovative practices focus on…

Findings suggest that class openness may have some effects independent of the initial entering characteristics of the child and that, at least with regard to some outcomes, the child's characteristics may help to determine the type of class from which he would derive the greatest benefit. (Author/MV)

This article is a rejoinder to TM 501 980. (DEP)

This study tested all children (N=1163) in one open classroom school and five "traditional" schools, using Stanford Achievement Tests, the Children's Self Concept Indicator, and the Children's Attitudinal Range Indicator. Data were collected four to five months after the initiation of the open classroom methods, as a preliminary indicator of the…

Primary children in the individualized multiage programs (IMP) had lower state and trait anxiety than those in traditional learning environments (TRAD), as measured by the State Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. The IMP-TRAD instructional programs and trait anxiety had different effects on performance at the first and second grade levels.…

This paper describes one instructor's experiences in teaching an introductory psychology course in a traditional college (Rhode Island College) setting and in the College's nontraditional Urban Educational Center. The students at the Center, which offered tuition-free enrollment classes in high school equivalency preparation, adult basic…