This article examines the nature of governance in the Co-operative Academies Trust which comprises academy schools in England sponsored by the Co-operative Group. The historical and political context for the study is summarised, the research methodology is explained, and data are drawn upon from one case study academy. Structural, organisational…

Since the election of the Coalition government in 2010, an increasing number of primary schools in England have converted to academy status. This article explores how executive leaders working in primary academies construct academy freedoms and their attitudes towards their local authorities. Interviews with four executive leaders working in two…

Ample research has explored the nature and efficacy of urban charter schools since the turn of the century. However, much less attention has been given to the rural charter school sector. Using data obtained from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools from the 2018-2019 school year, we describe rural charter schools nationally in terms…

This conversation grows out of the book by Terry Edwards and Carl Parsons -- "How to Dismantle the English State Education System in 10 Easy Steps" (Zero Books 2019). The book was written as a satire, ostensibly lauding the achievements of academisation whilst revealing the commercialised, scandal-ridden, chaotic and ineffective nature…

Neoliberal education reforms in schools serving sizeable Black populations throughout the United States have proliferated and are being transported to Black educational contexts abroad. Building on a framework of Coloniality, antiBlackness and a review of Black colonial education this relational analysis argues that contemporary neoliberal…

In a new report, "Never Going Back: An Analysis of Parent Sentiment on Education," the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools examines results from a survey of more than 5,000 parents conducted by The Harris Poll in May 2022. Survey results provide deep insights into how parents feel about education, whether and why they've made…

Pennsylvania has "the highest cyber charter school enrollment in the country" with student enrollment soaring in 2020-21 due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. School districts paid over $1 billion in tuition for students enrolled in Pennsylvania's 14 cyber charter schools in 2020-21, a $335 million increase over the prior…

This study focused on the effect of fifteen minutes of direct phonics instruction three days per week on student achievement, of Winter MAP goals, during the Response to Intervention block, during English language arts class. The literature suggests the use of both systematic and word-based strategies for instructional strategies, more scientific…

The purpose of this dissertation is to describe the environment of current Texas Subchapter E University charter schools in Texas and some of the teachers that currently work at those charter schools. Two research questions guided this study: (1) What are teachers' experiences in Texas University Charter schools? How do their experiences compare…

This article explores the relationship between teachers and policymaking, and in particular a contradiction at its center: Teachers are needed to "people" policy, yet are conventionally named as its objects. As part of a two-year participatory study, fourteen teachers in three schools, including the author, sought to investigate policy…

Purpose: We describe charter school leaders' beliefs and practices as they relate to student transportation in three choice-rich cities. Research Methods/Approach: Data come from a multiple comparative case study of district and charter school leaders' perceptions and implementation of transportation policies in three choice-rich cities with…

This cross-comparative study examines the personal transitions of the leadership from academies in England with the leadership of independent and charter schools in the United States. Findings from this qualitative study revealed the many similarities in how principals from both the U.S. and England processed personal transitions and how those…

In response to concerns regarding school quality, state policy-makers reformed their charter school authorization processes to impose greater regulatory barriers to chartering. These barriers to market entry could impose substantial burdens for Black and Latino would-be charter operators, as well as independent operators, who may lack access to…

In this paper, the author draws on a qualitative case study of a place-based food justice project (FJP) at an urban public charter high school to examine the role of community-school partnerships (CSPs) in the FJP and marginalized students' experiences of these partnerships. Observations and interviews with students, teachers, and community…

This paper explores how parents' COVID-19 safety concerns relate to school governance models (SGMs), instructional modes (i.e. in-person, hybrid, online), and perceptions of school quality during the pandemic. Leveraging two waves of household survey data across 47 states and the District of Columbia, we first conduct a series of multinomial…