This debut edition of Hopes, Fears, & Reality provides new data on many aspects of charter schools in the United States and examines issues and controversies surrounding reform. This chapter examines the provision of No Child Left Behind that requires school districts to restructure consistently low performing schools as charter schools. Citing mixed conclusions on charter school achievement studies, critics worry that the “restructuring” provision threatens to toss students from the frying pan into the fire. The authors consider how school districts and charter authorizers can make distinctions between charter schools that offer valuable options to students, and those that do not.
