Understanding Charter Schools:
Authors: Thomas, Evan Winger, Pat
Source: Newsweek; 6/21/2010, Vol. 155 Issue 25, p46-46, 1p Abstract
This article discusses charter schools in the U.S. A study from Stanford University found that 37% of charter schools underperformed public schools, while just 17% delivered superior performance. A key reason is that foundering charter schools are often not shut down in a timely manner. In cities where this is not the case, charter schools tend to do well. For the past two decades, charter schools have been touted as a way of improving public schools—a no bureaucratic, innovative alternative designed to test new ideas that all schools could benefit from. Charter schools are generally (though not always) nonunion schools, freer to hire and fire teachers. The experimentation they’ve fostered has produced some of the best schools in the country. So it came as a bit of a shock to the community of educational reformers last year when a study by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Educational Outcomes (CREDO) found that 37 percent of charter schools produce academic results that are worse than public schools, while only 17 percent perform significantly better. Earlier studies sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest teachers’ union, had produced similar results, but they were suspect, since unions stood to lose from the charter-school movement. CREDO, on the other hand, is part of the Hoover Institution, known for favoring free-market solutions. “The perception that charters are per se better than other public schools has been belied by the facts,” says Randi Weingarten, president of the AFT.

Understanding Charter Schools 1

Understanding Charter Schools

Lizzie Harris Prof. Randi M. Fass Contemporary Issues in Education February 25, 2011

Understanding Charter Schools 2 Examining Practices of Charter Schools While exploring the role of the public character of charter schools which are funded through public taxation but operated by non-state organizations such as nonprofit and for-profit educational corporations and non-governmental public interest organizations has led me to these findings. In (2009, p.362), Tozer & Senese wrote: a charter school is one for which the school grants a group of people, which could include parents, community members, and teachers comma, a charter, or authorization, to open a school that reflects their shared educational philosophy. The district then funds that school like any public school. In education, few topics have created much debate over charter schools, which are, publicly supported schools given greater autonomy of operation in exchange for public accountability.
Zimmer & Buddin stated (2007) since charter schools’ inception in 1991, the charter school movement has seen tremendous growth as 40 states plus the District of Columbia have passed charter school laws. Currently, more than 3,500 charter schools enroll nearly 1 million students nationwide. As the charter school movement has grown, rhetoric from advocates and opponents has dominated the debate over effectiveness. Only recently have researchers been able to provide any quantifiable results, which are mostly mixed, but have generally treated charter schools as a monolithic group. (Zimmer & Buddin, 2007, pp. 231-232). Understanding Charter Schools 3

Charter School Effectiveness These results suggest that charter school performance could vary by the operation and organizational structure of schools and underscore the need to examine these aspects of charter schools in greater detail when evaluating their performance. Questions:
1. As a parent the research on this topic has left me to wonder if charter schools can substantially move the needle on student achievement overall? 2. What is the relationship between charter school contexts and student achievement? 3. Could these outcomes raise further challenges for researchers? Conclusion and Implications It is important to consider these three areas, what schools do, have and know when interpreting claims of charter schools success and failure. Charter schools much like traditional public schools need support from policymakers to craft educational environments that are diverse, highly resourced, and of high academic quality.

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References Thomas, E., & Winger, P. (Eds.). (2010). newsweek.

Tozer, S., Senese, G., & Violas, P. C. (n.d.). school & society (p. 362). New york: Mcgraw hill.

Scott, J., Villavic, A., & Villavicencio, A. (n.d.). school context and charter school achievement A framework for understanding the performance Black Box. peabody journal of education, 84(0161-956X print/ 1532-7930 online), (227-243) 228. doi:10.1080/01619560902810161