Research
A Summary of Minnesota Public School Choice Programs
(From Facts, Figures and Faces: A Look at Minnesota’s School Choice Programs, Mike Malone, Joe Nathan, and Darryl Sedio November 1993, Center for School Change, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs) The 1985 – 1993 Minnesota Legislatures passed several laws expanding educator and parental choice among schools. Post-Secondary Options (1985) allows public school 11th […]
Accountability in California Schools (2001-2002)
Results for All Schools Compared to Charter Schools
Accreditation/Regulation of Private Schools: A Sketch
Regulation of private schools and certification of private school faculty members and administrators have been recurring themes during the discussions on school reform, notes the National Council for Private School Accreditation.
Annual Survey of America’s Charter Schools: Part I (2005)
Since 1997, CER has regularly surveyed charter schools operating in the United States.
Beyond Brick and Mortar: Cyber Charters Revolutionizing Education (2002)
January 2002. Technological innovations have merged into cyber charter schools, and together they offer greater opportunities for the dissemination of knowledge than have ever existed before.
Boston Charter Schools: Champions of School Achievement (2008)
March 2008. While Boston sports champions are praised and talked about repeatedly in the media, one champion in Beantown has gone largely unnoticed – charter schools.
CER: Choice in Action: What’s Occurring Around the Country (1997)
November 1997. With the increasing demand for better schools, states and communities are providing more options to families. CER delves into the status and progress of full school choice programs, charter schools, voucher programs, and other notable school choice efforts happening around the country.
CER: Choice in Action: What’s Working Around the Country (1994)
January 6, 1994. CER conducted research and compiled existing case studies to survey what types of school choice program, and in what implementations, are working around the country.
CER: School Choice in the United States: State by State Analysis Fall 1993
Fall 1993. Virtually every state in the nation allows some sort of school choice to families, but the degree to which parents can choose varies greatly. CER rounds up each law state by state.
Charter Public Schools: A Brief History and Preliminary Lessons
By Joe Nathan December 1994 Charter Public Schools- A Brief History and Preliminary Lessons
Charter School Accountability Report: Overview (2009)
Through CER’s in-depth look at each state’s closed charter schools, it is evident that strong state laws ensure accountability.
Charter School Research Updates (1999)
Research up to September 1999 is broken down into a handy chart that provides quick overviews and summaries by state.
Charter Schools Accountability Report (2009)
Knowing where charter schools are achieving and the reasons why 12 percent of the nation’s charter schools have closed is important to understanding what makes a school successful. State-by-state breakdowns offer a clear picture of the states whose charter schools are making the grade.
Charter Schools Audit: Arizona 2003
The objective of this audit was to determine if Arizona charter schools expended funds according to applicable law and regulations.
Charter Schools In Baltimore, Maryland (2004)
Fact sheet makes a case for charter schools in Charm City, noting how a charter can be a tool for schools that are eligible for restructuring, based on the federal No Child Left Behind Standards.
Charter Schools of the Year Grading Rubric
Explanation of grading criteria for CER’s Charter School of the Year award.
Charter Schools Today: Changing the Face of American Education (2001)
January 2001. As reported in CHARTER SCHOOLS TODA Y: CHANGING THE FACE OF AMERICAN EDUCATION when it was released nearly a year ago, far from being an indictment of charter schools, closures provide real contractual accountability, which is all too often missing at many traditional public schools.
Charter Schools, Still Making Waves (2005)
Since the first charter law in 1991, the answer remains the same—charter schools have an enormous, positive, ripple effect on schools in their neighborhoods. From Milwaukee, WI to Miami, FL, charter school growth is making traditional stakeholders, district employees and their leaders think and behave differently, which is better for all kids.
Charter Schools: A Progress Report — Part I: Achievement (1998)
October, 1998. The following examples are early evidence of the effectiveness of charter schools in raising academic achievement. This progress report is the first in a series examining recent success and struggles experienced by charters.
Charter Schools: A Progress Report — Part I: Achievement Addendum (1998)
On October 14, 1998 The Center for Education Reform released the first of a series of reports that document the maturation of charter schools. But before the press could cool more achievement data splashed across state newspapers, so we’re keeping our readers up to date.
Charter Schools: A Progress Report — Part III: The Ripple Effect (1999)
The Center for Education Reform documents how charters are impacting individual schools, changing the attitudes of whole districts, and benefiting public education over all.
Choice Opportunities: Private Scholarship Programs (1994)
January 3, 1994. CER researches a lesser-known school choice implementation: Private Scholarship Programs. Over a dozen privately-funded school choice programs are growing across the country, providing opportunities to over 7,000 low-income students already.
Closed Charter Schools By State (2009)
A national data chart of closed charter schools by state that lists schools’ opening and closing dates, reasons and explanations for closure, and authorizer. Part of CER’s 2009 Charter School Accountability Report.
Companies Serving Public Schools (1999)
A list of major school management providers as of December 1999, including 16 organizations that manage 200 charter schools.
Competing To Win: How Florida’s A+ Plan Has Triggered Public School Reform (2000)
A summary of information obtained through public records requests by Carol Innerst, with an introduction by Howard Fuller. The report details how Florida school districts have undertaken significant efforts to improve public schools in response to the competitive pressure applied by the state’s voucher program.
Connecticut Funding Analysis (2007)
June 7, 2007. CER asked Aspire Consulting to evaluate the revenue provided to Connecticut districts and and companion charter schools for FY 2006 with the objective of determining if charter schools are receiving their fair portion of revenue under the state’s funding formula.
Debunking the Class Size Myth: How to Really Improve Teacher Quality (2000)
March 2000. Americans are being swept away by the conventional wisdom on class size. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the mass hiring of teachers to reduce class sizes to between 15 and 18 in the early grades will yield the results the advocates claim.
Debunking the Real Estate Risk of Charter Schools (2005)
A study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation using CER data reveals that landlords and real estate lenders who are wary of dealing with charter schools may perceive the schools as much riskier clients than they actually are.
Education by Charter: Restructuring School Districts—Key to long-term continuing improvement in American education
Ray Budde 1988 Education by Charter- Restructuring School Districts Ray Budde
Facts, Figures and Faces: A Look at Minnesota’s School Choice Programs
Mike Malone, Joe Nathan, Darryl Sedio November 1993 Facts Figures and Faces A Look At Minnesotas School Choice Programs
Finishing College (1999)
December 1999. A summary of findings from a unique U.S. Department of Education Report, Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor’s Degree Attainment.
How Members of Congress Practice School Choice (2003)
September 3, 2003. A survey finds that if all Members of Congress who use private schools vote yes for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program, it will pass.
Kentucky Charter School Law Bill Review (2009)
A review by The Center for Education Reform of Kentucky Charter School Law Bill HB 63.
Last Ten States Booklet (2007)
A myriad of data, including student achievement information, on the last ten states without charter school laws in 2007: Alabama, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia, and Vermont.
National For-Profit Companies Operating Charter Schools 1997-98
CER estimate of private firms on contract with charters by the fall of 1998: over 70 (based on forecast of new laws taking effect, companies growing and expanding their contracting. The forecast also includes state for-profit operations notincluded above).
Nine Lies About School Choice (2003)
December 2003. Empirical and anecdotal evidence showing that school choice is equitable, desired, and works exists. Nine Lies addresses the nine most prominent falsehoods – lies – that still exist today despite evidence that has accumulated in ten years.
Number of Charter Schools Operating (1999)
A chart revealing the number of charter schools in operation in April 1999 and September 1999. Data are part of CER’s National Charter School Directory.
Number of Charter Schools Operating from 1992-2000
December, 1999. State-by-state chart of charter school growth from 1992-2000. Part of the CER’s National Charter School Directory 1999.
Opening the Door to School Choice in Wisconsin: Marquette Law Review (1998)
Marquette Law Review, 1998 (Vol. 81). The history of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program through the litigation it encountered and lived with the first decade of its existence. Read with Tommy Thompson’s 1989 State of the State Address, “Investing In Education”
Outcome-Based Education: A Tale of Two Definitions (1993)
The debate over Outcome-Based Education (OBE) is marred by varying definitions, lack of information and misleading characterizations. Here you’ll find an explanation of the term in the context of curriculum and learning, as well as an anecdote about a framework being proposed in Pennsylvania.
PACE Charter Report Flawed (2003)
A national report entitled Charter Schools and Inequality: National Disparities in Funding, Teacher Quality, and Student Support from Public Analysis for California Education (PACE), offers a distorted view of charter schools.
Performance Contracting: High Stakes Hiring (1997)
For school employees from the classroom to the superintendent’s office, performance contracting has provided a real professional impetus to measurably improve educational delivery; for public officials and communities it has offered greater leverage in demanding and getting higher achievement from students and schools.
Researchers Question Charter School Study’s Methods (2004)
Members of the research community express dismay over the prominent, largely uncritical coverage by The New York Times to a study of charter schools by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
Scheduling: On The Block (1996)
Exploring why block scheduling seems to be the innovation of the moment, and what block scheduling changes could mean for schools.
Solving the Charter School Financing Conundrum (2000)
July 2000. Charter schools often have difficulty obtaining capital financing and the funds needed to cover initial operating expenses and other start-up costs. Here are some policies lawmakers should consider implementing in their states to alleviate financing burdens on charter schools.
Solving the Charter School Funding Gap (2005)
The Seven Major Causes and What To Do About Them.
Still On Thin Ice? A Look at Recent Polls on School Choice and Charter Schools (2000)
August 2000. With the annual poll season about to begin amidst back-to-school and election flurry, CER has reviewed major polls both nationally and in the states about the issues.
Student Scores Are Up: Three Reasons Why (2005)
A look into the results of the 2004 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card.
The K-8 Solution: The Retreat From Middle Schools (2008)
Middle schools have been called the “weak link” of public education. According to researchers, the transition to middle school is often a difficult one for students, and during these years, there is often a problem with discipline, absenteeism and low test scores.
The New Generation of Standardized Testing (2000)
October 2000. Although most states use some form of testing, fewer than half administer tests linked to state education standards and goals, often called criterion referenced tests. In states that have adopted high-stakes testing, the results show that many students fail to meet basic, minimum standards for their grade level.
The Philadelphia Story: Educational Progress in the City of Brotherly Love (2007)
Five years after the state intervened to force change in Philadelphia’s schools, five years after a dynamic schools CEO was hired, andfive years after the multiple provider model was introduced, the achievement results from “The Philadelphia Story of 2007” are clear —competition works for all students.
The Role of Government in Education (1962)
The Friedman Foundation From “Captalism and Freedom” | 1962/1982 Formal schooling is today paid for and almost entirely administered by government bodies or non-profit institutions. This situation has developed gradually and is now taken so much for granted that little explicit attention is any longer directed to the reasons for the special treatment of schooling […]
The States Will Have To Withdraw The Exclusive
Public Services Redesign Project — July 1990 By Ted Kolderie Seven years after the Nation at Risk report this country still lacks a strategy for school improvement. We are serious about improvement. But we do not know how to make it happen. In the first effort, following the Nation At Risk report in 1983, we tried […]
The Textbook Conundrum (2001)
May 2001. What are the Children Learning and Who Decides? Missing from most discussions is the role that textbooks play in the achievement of children.
Traits of a Successful Charter School: Best Practices Nationwide (2005)
CER has identified 6 schools that can boast enormous academic achievement through the use of innovative practices that would often be stifled within the conventional public school system.
Truth In Spending: The Cost of Not Educating Our Children (1994)
The cry for more money is misdirected at best; the money is there, in the system, to get America’s schools back on track.
Truth In Spending: The Cost of Not Educating Our Kids — An Update (1998)
June 1998. Billions of dollars continue to be wasted, absorbed by layers of administration and countless regulations that serve only to stifle dynamic innovation and school-level reform.
UCLA’s Charter School “Study” (1998)
The following highlights some of the assertions and claims made in the press release as contrasted with findings of other researchers and practitioners who have closely examined charter school issues in California.
What the Research Reveals About Charter Schools (2001)
August 2001. The Center for Education Reform has analyzed the existing research universe and identified 65 actual research-based studies that draw mainly objective conclusions based on evaluation of data.
What The Research Reveals About Charter Schools (2003)
September 2003. This third edition of What The Research Reveals contains all report summaries from the first two editions, but adds overviews of major research published during the past two years. The result? 88 major reports show charter schools are improving education for America’s kids.
Who Says Private Schools Are Not Accountable? (1993)
February 21, 1993. Research by Charles J. O’Malley Ph.D. Prepared for Temple University & Manhattan Institute.
Why Charter Schools Should Be Their Own Independent LEA (2008)
This paper gives an overview on what an LEA is, what responsibilities come with this designation, and why CER believes charter schools should be their own LEAs.
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