This report presents findings from a national examination of the organizations that sponsor, oversee and hold accountable U.S. charter schools. Its primary aim is to describe and characterize these crucial but little known organizations: What do they look like? How big are they? How do they go about their work? The results of this inquiry is a new…

When one sees the new Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST), the first thing one will likely to notice is the building's impressive design. The school looks more like a Silicon Valley biotech firm than a typical new Colorado high school. Indeed, the innovative structure, modeled on a similar facility in San Diego, has already garnered…

This study focuses on the case of The Heritage Academy (THA), a predominantly white charter school in rural North Carolina. Through a critical race analysis, this article suggests that predominantly white charter schools like THA benefit from colorblind educational policies in a whitestream and white supremacist society. Specifically, this case…

Access to important educational resources in California's middle and high schools is not equal among schools that serve different student populations. Overall, the most disadvantaged populations of middle and high school students are likely to have the least access to the resources necessary for learning. California policymakers are focusing on…

Controversy abounds in states and communities across the United States about how best to manage the nation's schools. Much of the current debate over school reform can be reduced to a single question: Who should decide? This report discusses some of the ways in which policymakers have attempted to give schools greater flexibility from rules and…

In recent years the Institute for Independent Education has begun to study a significant parental response to the lack of options in education. Parents of color and those with low to moderate incomes are creating and supporting independent community-based schools as self-help resources for the educational needs of their children. These schools,…

The Charter School of San Diego (California) began operations in the 1994-95 school year. Its program and facilities previously operated as one of the city's alternative education programs designed to provide individualized support for holistic engagement of students, many of whom enrolled because of difficulties at comprehensive schools. The…

Fifteen years after the release of the landmark education report, "A Nation at Risk," a number of the nation's most prominent education reformers, business leaders, and policymakers met at an event sponsored by the Center for Education Reform, Empower America, the Heritage Foundation, and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. To discuss the…

This collection of papers describes the development of the Charter School of Education and Human Services at Berry College. Four articles serve as a case study in how one school of education proactively approached change in its teacher education program. Faculty in the school wrote scholarly manuscripts describing the transition to a charter…

This report presents Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) results for North Carolina students scheduled to graduate in 2001. These results represent students' most recent scores, regardless of when they last took the test. The scores of public and nonpublic school students in North Carolina and the United States are reflected in this report, except…

The Okaloosa-Walton Community College (OWCC) proposes a Charter High School that will allow college-level study for serious high school students. The combined high school and college educational programs will enable students to complete a high school diploma and an associate degree simultaneously in either academic transfer or technical education…

Findings from this Fordham-sponsored survey--the fourth survey of Dayton, Ohio parent/community attitudes toward education since 1988--present a fascinating array of opinions about today's schools (and those who are responsible for them) and the changes that could be made tomorrow. Over 70 percent of Dayton-area parents support the idea of…

The creation of publicly financed but relatively independent public charter schools may be the most vibrant force in American education today. This fastback presents findings of a national study that examined the outcomes of charter schools. Data were collected through site visits to 43 charter schools in 7 states (Arizona, California, Colorado,…

In 1994 and 1995, most school-finance legislation at the state level dealt with state aid--36 out of 127 bills introduced in 1994 and 31 out of 212 bills introduced in 1995. This report presents 13 tables that summarize the content of state legislation and identify bills that addressed the formation of study committees, the use of lottery funds to…

This progress report reviews comprehensive research on the impact of the nation's charter schools on education and the education system. Chapter 1 looks at the "ripple effect" charter schools have on public schools. Charter schools' efforts to improve public education create new choices for parents. The competition causes public schools…