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Charter Schools and Public School Choice

School choice is increasingly the new normal in urban education. But in cities with multiple public school options, how can civic leaders create a choice system that works for all families, whether they choose a charter or district school? To answer this question, CRPE has been studying the opportunities and challenges in “high-choice” cities. We have interviewed civic and education leaders and surveyed parents to identify challenges like uneven school quality and lack of transportation. We’ve also studied ways cities can overcome barriers, such as unified enrollment and common accountability systems, to learn what works and what needs to be refined.

Charter schools offer the potential to create high-performing public schools in districts typically plagued by poor student outcomes. Too often, however, the charter school debate is marred by biased research and polemics. Like all important reform efforts, credible research and analysis must accompany innovation. To assess whether charter schools are fulfilling their mission, we rigorously evaluate their performance, costs, and ability to address unique student needs. New data and evidence help innovators across the country collaborate, communicate, and develop best practices.

This chapter of Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2006 reports on the preliminary results from a study of the agencies that authorize new charter schools and assess their...

This chapter of Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2006 shows how public officials, citizens, and the press can move beyond the preoccupation with test scores to begin assessing...

In this chapter of Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2006, Mary Beth Celio contemplates the challenge of fairly measuring charter school graduation rates—an important, but rarely tracked metric...

This edition of Hopes, Fears, & Reality explores some of the most controversial issues facing the charter school movement and the implications of continued growth for leading players in the charter school debates.

This brief summarizes which charter school data states collect and how the limitations of those data impact the quality of charter school research. The data in this brief were collected as part of the research...

The National Charter School Research Project and the Progressive Policy Institute convened a meeting of local, state, and national leaders from both the charter school and teachers union communities to address ongoing battles between teachers...

This report reveals how two very different school districts, Milwaukee and Dayton, are affected by and responding to the pressures of school choice.

This report summarizes a meeting of leaders from charter management organizations, school districts, and foundations to address the question of charter expansion and provides concrete recommendations for those interested in creating a more hospitable environment...

This white paper from the Charter School Achievement Consensus Panel examines the existing research on student achievement in charter schools and details how future research could be improved.

This paper gives an advance report on the results of studies in the Doing School Choice Right project.

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