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 A State Policymaker’s Guide to Alternative Authorizers of Charter Schools  PDF - During the 2004-05 school year, there were over 800 charter school authorizers across the country. The vast majority – over 700 – were local school boards. The rest were non-local school board authorizers, i.e., “alternative authorizers.” This ECS Issue Brief helps state policymakers think through what kind of alternative authorizing structures may make sense for their states. The paper presents the advantages, disadvantages and policy considerations for each of the seven types of alternative authorizers. In addition, it discusses the critical design issues facing states interested in creating alternative authorizers. (Bryan Hassel, Todd Ziebarth and Lucy Steiner, Education Commission of the States, September 2005)...
State Policies for Charter Schools Database - From this database, you can generate profiles of individual state policies for charter schools, compare specific types of policies across several states or view predetermined reports. (Todd Ziebarth, Education Commission of the States, 2006)...
Charter School Laws and Partnerships: Expanding Opportunities and Resources  MS Word - This ECS Policy Brief summarizes results from The Center on Educational Governance's study on the existence of provisions in state charter school laws that facilitate or inhibit the schools' ability to partner with organizations across economic sectors. The report shows that states with established charter school resource centers also tend to have more partnerships. (Education Commission of the States, April 2004)...
Cyber Charter Schools MS Word - Cyber charter schools deliver the majority of their instruction over the Internet instead of in a school building. As of the 2002-03 school year, nearly 60 cyber charter schools are operating in 13 states. This policy brief examines state policies for cyber charter schools, the advantages and disadvantages of cyber charter schools and key questions for policymakers concerning cyber charter schools. (Amy Berk Anderson, Education Commission of the States, 2003)...
Recent State Policies/Activities: Charter Schools - Collection from the ECS state policy database.
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How State Charter Laws Rank Against the New Model Public School Charter Law - First-ever ranking of all state charter school laws that are based on the full range of values in the public charter school movement: quality and accountability, funding equity, facilities support, autonomy, growth and choice. (Todd Ziebarth, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, January 2010)...
Peeling the Lid off State-Imposed Charter School Caps - This brief finds that parental demand for high-performing public charter schools continues to go unmet in 25 states and the District of Columbia, where some type of limit, or cap, is restricting charter school growth. The document examines each state's restrictions on new charters, the number of schools, student enrollment numbers, student type and schools per authorizer. (Todd Ziebarth, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, February 2007)...
A Sum Greater Than the Parts: What States Can Teach Each Other About Charter Schooling - Charter schooling expands choices for students within the public system and provides more customized teaching and learning opportunities for teachers and students by allowing for greater variation in the kinds of schools that are available. At the same time, charter schools maintain core public education ideals, such as providing universal access for students and public oversight and accountability. This report summarizes states' experiences with charters, particularly the role of state charter school laws in shaping a the charter sector. (Sara Mead and Andrew Rottherham, Education Sector, September 2007)...
“Alternative” Charter School Authorizers: Playing a Vital Role in the Charter Movement - Charter schools are present in forty states and the District of Columbia, and most operate with the knowledge that they will be closed if they are not meeting certain goals. But who is determining the goals, how are these decisions made, and who is making them? This study investigates the authorizers of charter schools and provides state-by-state comparisons about who and what these organizations are. (Louann Bierlein Palmer, Progressive Policy Institute, December 2006)
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Charter School Data: What States Collect -- State data and Implications for Research - As more charter schools are being established across the United States, thorough data collection and analysis is essential to allow for careful monitoring of schools’ performance. This brief reviews challenges and problems in data collection efforts and provides recommendations for improving the system. (Jonathon Christensen, National Charter School Research Project, December 2006)...
Turning the Corner to Quality: Policy Guidelines for Strengthening Ohio's Charter Schools - This report seeks to strengthen Ohio's charter school program. Among its 17 recommendations are calls for closing low-performing charter schools and holding sponsors more accountable for oversight of the growing charter movement while also helping more high-performance schools to open and succeed in Ohio. In return for sharply stepped-up accountability, restrictions on the formation of high-quality charters should be removed, and charter schools should receive more equitable funding. (Louann Bierlein Palmer, Michelle Godard Terrell, Bryan C. Hassel and C. Peter Svahn, The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, October 2006)
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Florida Charter Schools: Hot and Humid with Passing Storms - Florida is often referred to as "school choice central" because of its many publicly-funded school choice initiatives. This report examines the history of Florida's charter school initiative, results to date and areas where the state can improve. The authors find reason for optimism about Florida's charter schools, as well as problems, especially around accountability. (Bryan C. Hassel, Michelle Godard Terrell and Julie Kowal, Education Sector, May 2006)
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Stunting Growth: The Impact of State-Imposed Caps on Charter Schools - Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia currently have some type of cap on charter schools. This brief argues that these caps are constraining charter school growth in at least 10 states. The brief examines the types of caps currently in place – including those in 10 states that are most severely constraining of growth – and offers policy recommendations as the charter school movement moves into its next phase of development. (Todd Ziebarth, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, January 2006)...
D.C. Charter Schools: Strengthening Monitoring and Process When Schools Close Could Improve Accountability and Ease Student Transitions - To help oversee D.C. charter schools, congress established two charter authorizers, the Board of Education (BOE) and the Public Charter School Board (PCSB). This report examines the: (1) authorizers' resources, (2) oversight practices and (3) actions taken once charter schools close. Also available online are report highlights. (Government Accountability Office, November 2005) ...
National Charter School Research Project Database 2006-07 - This database contains information on charter and public schools in the 40 states and Washington D.C. that allow charter schools. Users can access the data in three ways, by: (1) generating state reports with all data points for a single state, (2) generating indicator reports that provide information on all states for a single data point, or (3) by downloading the complete data file in excel format. ...
Charter School Disruption of Service in Delaware: Report and Recommendations - Charter schools can discontinue the delivery of services in five ways in Delaware: (1) emergency disruption, (2) closure, (3) non-continuation, (4) non-renewal of charter and (5) failure to open. This report contains recommendations to ensure that future disruptions of service – while still difficult and unpleasant – will occur smoothly and with the least distraction to students, staff and parents. (Rachel Holbert, Dennis Loftus and Peter Ross, Institute for Public Administration, University of Delaware, May 2005)...
State Charter Law Rankings Database - The viewer can select a state and view how the state responds to a variety of components of the state charter laws. (National Alliance for Public Charter Schools)...
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What States Are Doing
