Purpose: This article highlights the complexity of accountability issues associated with one charter school from the charter application process, operation, and functioning of the external mechanism and the internal mechanism to hold the charter school accountable, closure of the school, and consequences of the charter school's closure on its…

The 46th Annual PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes toward the Public Schools reveals that Americans say they know a lot more this year about the Common Core State Standards than they indicated a year ago, and they like it a lot less. Americans also say local school boards should have the greatest influence in deciding what is taught in the…

This is a section of "Research-Based Options for Education Policymaking," a multipart brief that takes up a number of important policy issues and identifies policies supported by research. Each section focuses on a different issue, and its recommendations to policymakers are based on the latest scholarship. A founding premise of charter…

Charter schools provide an intriguing opportunity to rethink the role of public schools in preparing students to become informed and engaged participants in the American political system. As public schools of choice, charter schools are freed from many rules and regulations that can inhibit innovation and improvement. They can readily adopt best…

The dissertation examines the founding and first ten years of operation of Ridge and Valley Charter School, Blairstown, New Jersey, a kindergarten through eighth grade public charter school committed to ecological literacy and sustainability: "education for a hopeful sustainable future." Within the context of the establishment and…

While many charter school leaders across the country grapple with how to best provide and pay for special education, New Orleans recently became the first city in the nation to tackle special education on the fiscal, human capital, and program fronts in the context of a full-choice public education landscape. Over time, it may offer scalable…

Since 2009, the Cowen Institute has conducted an annual poll to assess public perception of the public education system in New Orleans. The survey results in this report highlight the notion that, while progress has been made in New Orleans' public education, there is still room for improvement. The majority of respondents believe that charter…

At the turn of the century, the United States was trying to come to grips with a serious education crisis. The country was lagging behind its international peers, and a half-century effort to erode racial disparities in school achievement had made little headway. Many people expected action from the federal government. George W. Bush and Barack…

Background: Scholars widely acknowledge that politics help explain why policies are adopted and how they play out in states, districts, and schools. To date, political analyses of education reform tend to isolate a particular policy and examine the politics of its adoption or implementation, but pay less attention to the effects of the politics of…

This study examines the expenditure allocation pattern of charter schools in Texas and compares those patterns to non-charter public schools to determine if the autonomy afforded to charter schools results in significant differences. Findings indicate the allocation patterns of charter schools do differ from those of non-charter public schools.…

The enthusiasm for digital learning is contagious. More than 2 million K-12 students are enrolled in online courses today, and research firm Ambient Insight projects that figure will hit 10 million by 2014. Will today's wave of technology inexorably change the face of schooling, or must school administrators first alter policy? This article…

"Viewpoint" is a series of articles written by leaders in charter school authorizing and the education reform movement. The series is meant to foster thoughtful discussion and idea exchange on current topics and emerging trends in the sector. This paper examines the various policy and implementation levers available to inject affirmative…

Some areas of charter school oversight are easy to overlook. This article provides a few practical tips for ensuring that legal and moral obligations are met and charter schools are "delivering the goods." Effective charter oversight takes time and diligence. As many districts know, closing or not renewing a charter school can be painful…

The charter school movement is prepared to expand at rates once unimaginable. Yet, a glaring hypocrisy exists in the movement that education and political leaders seem eager to ignore. The charter school movement stakes its very effectiveness and value on increased levels of accountability and measurable student achievement results; but it fails…

The authorizers of charter schools are an understudied piece of the charter reform process. The local school boards, state agencies, and higher education institutions that act as authorizers play a significant role in the market, determining which operators get to enter the market and which are forced to exit. This article provides an…