Research

A

Results for All Schools Compared to Charter Schools

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.

Since 1997, CER has regularly surveyed charter schools operating in the United States.

B

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.

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.

C

Through CER’s in-depth look at each state’s closed charter schools, it is evident that strong state laws ensure accountability.

Research up to September 1999 is broken down into a handy chart that provides quick overviews and summaries by state.

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.

The objective of this audit was to determine if Arizona charter schools expended funds according to applicable law and regulations.

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.

Explanation of grading criteria for CER’s Charter School of the Year award.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Center for Education Reform documents how charters are impacting individual schools, changing the attitudes of whole districts, and benefiting public education over all.

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.

A list of major school management providers as of December 1999, including 16 organizations that manage 200 charter schools.

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.

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.

D

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.

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.

F

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. 

H

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.

L

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.

N

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).

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.

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.

December, 1999.  State-by-state chart of charter school growth from 1992-2000.  Part of the CER’s National Charter School Directory 1999.

O

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.

P

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.  

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.

R

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).

S

Exploring why block scheduling seems to be the innovation of the moment, and what block scheduling changes could mean for schools.

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.

The Seven Major Causes and What To Do About Them.

A look into the results of the 2004 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card.

T

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The cry for more money is misdirected at best; the money is there, in the system, to get America’s schools back on track.

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.

U

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.

W

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.

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.

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.

February 21, 1993. Research by Charles J. O’Malley Ph.D. Prepared for Temple University & Manhattan Institute.