The charter school landscape / Sandra Vergari.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vergari, Sandra.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Charter schools--Political aspects--United States.

Charter schools.

United States.

Physical Description:

320 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Pittsburgh : University of Pittsburgh Press, [2002]

Summary:

The charter school movement has grown significantly since the first charter school opened in Minnesota in 1992. A decade later, over 2,200 charter schools are operating across thirty-four states, the District of Columbia, and Alberta, Canada, with a total enrollment of more than 550,000 students and a continued growth forecast. The movement has also received considerable financial aid from the federal government, with U.S. appropriations rising from $6 million to $145 million in just over five years. Yet, despite enrollment growth and governmental support, charter schools have not been immune to criticism. Opponents lament the diversion of public funds from traditional public schools as parents choose to place their children in charter schools. Critics claim charter schools foster greater social and racial stratification and undermine the socialization function of public education in a diverse democracy. School choice proponents argue that there will always be more informed, more alert, and more aggressive parents who seek the best education for their children and that charter schools alleviate, rather than exacerbate, existing inequities.

Through analysis of programs in eleven U.S. states -- Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin -- and the Canadian province of Alberta, The Charter School Landscape offers a balanced discussion of the charter school movement, its performance to date, and its implications for public policy. Sandra Vergari has assembled a group of experts to examine how the charter school concept has been interpreted and implemented. Each chapter focuses on an individual jurisdiction, combining investigation of common themes, such as the politics of policy implementation and charter school accountability, with state-specific topics, including charter school laws, academic performance, equity concerns, and policy recommendations. The Charter School Landscape addresses both pro- and anticharter opinions with sound logic, data, and references -- elements often missing in a charter school discourse frequently motivated by passion and politics. The contributors illuminate issues particular to each state and offer lessons for analysts and policymakers everywhere. As a whole, The Charter School Landscape suggests that charter schools continue to have a significant impact on the institution of public education and on the concept of the "real public school."

Contents:

2. Minnesota and the Charter Public School Idea / Joe Nathan 17

3. Charter Schools in California: A Bruising Campaign for Public School Choice / Priscilla Wohlstetter, Noelle C. Griffin, Derrick Chau 32

4. Letting a Thousand Flowers (and Weeds) Bloom: The Charter Story in Arizona / Frederick M. Hess, Robert Maranto 54

5. Michigan's Charter School Movement: The Politics of Policy Design / Michael Mintrom 74

6. Colorado Charter Schools: Becoming an Enduring Feature of the Reform Landscape / Eric Hirsch 93

7. The Massachusetts Charter School Initiative: A Model for Public School Accountability? / Paul Herdman 113

8. Wisconsin: Chartering Authority as Educational Reform / Julie F. Mead 133

9. Parameters for Choice: Charter Schools in Alberta / Lynn Bosetti, Robert O'Reilly 155

10. Texas: Charter Schools and the Struggle for Equity / Lance D. Fusarelli 175

11. Charter Schools in Florida: A Work in Progress / Tracey Bailey, Carolyn Lavely, Cathy Wooley-Brown 192

12. Charter Schools in North Carolina: Confronting the Challenges of Rapid Growth / Michelle Godard McNiff, Bryan C. Hassel 208

13. New York: Over 100 Charter Applications in Year One / Sandra Vergari 230.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [289]-308) and index.

ISBN:

0822941805

OCLC:

50024363