Beyond the schoolhouse door. How charter schools are transforming U.S. public education

Phi Delta Kappan

Volumn 81, Issue 10, 2000, Pages 736-744

  Manno, Bruno V ^a   Finn, Chester E ^b,c   Vanourek, Gregg ^d  

^a Annie E Casey Foundation   (United States)

^b Thomas B Fordham Foundation   (United States)

^c Manhattan Radiology   (United States)

^d YALE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0009889177     PISSN: 00317217     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (56)

1. In Washington, citizens can place measures before the electorate on the statewide ballot or place before the legislature initiatives that, unless enacted by the legislature without amendment, then go on the ballot. The Spadys shifted from the former approach to the latter, partly to avail themselves of the extra six months that this gave them to gather signatures. Facing strong union opposition again, the house passed an alternative bill, but the senate was willing to adopt only a weak charter law with tight caps on the number of schools, severe funding disadvantages, and a feeble appeals system. The Spadys and their allies rejected that Faustian bargain, and so the question went directly to the voters.
2. "No Excusing WEA Election Violations," Tacoma News Tribune, 3 March 1998, p. A-8.
3. In Missouri, the suit is still pending. The other court cases have led to decisions upholding charter laws.
4. "An Onerous Rule for Charter Schools," Boston Globe, 3 March 1998, p. A-10.
5. Joe Nathan, Charter Schools: Creating Hope and Opportunity for American Education (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996), p. 99.
6. American Federation of Teachers, Charter School Laws: Do They Measure Up? (Washington, D.C.: AFT Educational Issues Department, 1996).
7. This project is being independently evaluated (via site visits and case studies) by a team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles. In addition, SRI International is conducting focus groups at the NEA charter sites as part of a two-year project.
8. Julia E. Koppich, Patricia Holmes, and Margaret L. Plecki, New Rules, New Roles? The Professional Work Lives of Charter School Teachers (Washington, D.C.: National Education Association, 1998), p. iv.
9. Julia E. Koppich, Patricia Holmes, and Margaret L. Plecki, New Rules, New Roles? The Professional Work Lives of Charter School Teachers Ibid., pp. iv, 23. More than one response was possible.
10. Julia E. Koppich, Patricia Holmes, and Margaret L. Plecki, New Rules, New Roles? The Professional Work Lives of Charter School Teachers Ibid., pp. 23, 31.
11. Tom Loveless and Claudia Jasin, "Starting from Scratch: Political and Organizational Challenges Facing Charter Schools," Educational Administration Quarterly, February 1998, p. 23.
12. See, for example, Thomas Toch, "The Education Bazaar," U.S. News & World Report, 27 April 1998, pp. 36-37;
13. Michael Winerip, "Schools for Sale," New York Times Magazine, 14 June 1998, p. 42;
14. Cece Todd, "Guinea Pigs," Mesa Tribune, 23 August 1998, pp. A1-A11.
15. Amy Stuart Wells, Beyond the Rhetoric of Charter School Reform: A Study of Ten California School Districts (Los Angeles: University of California at Los Angeles, 1998), pp. 7, 14-15.
16. See also "Charter Schools Not Yet Living Up to Promises, Report Says," press release, UCLA Charter School Study, 3 December 1998, p. 1.
17. For a response, see Gary Hart, quoted in Nick Anderson, "Study Doubts Charter School Success Claims," Los Angeles Times, 4 December 1998;
18. memorandum from Eric Premack, UCLA Charter Study, Institute for School Reform, Sacramento, 4 December 1998;
19. "Give Them a Chance: Study Condemns Charter Schools Too Soon," San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 December 1998, an editorial that questioned the study's "sweeping generalizations" and concluded: "We are all for a fair evaluation of charter schools once they have had time to demonstrate their worth. This preemptive strike in the guise of a study hardly qualifies."
20. Milton Friedman, personal correspondence with the authors, 25 November 1998.
21. "Schools at the Top of the Hill," The Economist, February 1997, pp. 27-28.
22. Clint Bolick, "Bill Lann Lee's War on Charter Schools," Wall Street Journal, 22 March 1999, p. A-23.
23. See also "Charter Hypocrisy," Wall Street Journal, 20 October 1999, p. A-26 ;
24. Anita Hodgkiss, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, "We're All for Charter Schools" (letter to the editor), Wall Street Journal, 29 October 1999, p. A-19.
25. Bryan C. Hassel, The Charter School Challenge: Avoiding the Pitfalls, Fulfilling the Promise (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 1999), pp. 128-43, presents a similar perspective, suggesting that "charter schools might make an impact on the school system through three mechanisms. First, they might serve as laboratories.... Second, charter schools might serve as competitors to school districts. Third, charter schools might, over time, simply replace district schools as the primary purveyors of public education" (p. 250).
26. Ted Kolderie, A Major Education Reform - The Charter Idea: Update and Prospects (Minneapolis: City Innovation, 1995), pp. 3,5.
27. See also Hassel, A Major Education Reform - The Charter Idea: Update and Prospects op. cit.
28. Liz Wyatt, "Schools Compete for Pupils, Funding," Battle Creek Enquirer, 28 June 1998, p. 4-A.
29. Kelly Pierce, "Charters' Growth Shows No Sign of Slowing," Arizona Republic, 7 March 1999.
30. Wyatt, pp. 1-A, 4-A.
31. Robert Maranto, Scott Milliman, and Frederick Hess, "Does Public Sector Competition Stimulate Innovation? The Competitive Impacts of Arizona Charter Schools on Traditional Public Schools," unpublished paper, 1998.
32. For anecdotal information on Queen Creek and Mesa, see "Resistance Is Futile," The Bellwether, Goldwater Institute, Phoenix, Ariz., 8 September 1998.
33. Pierce, The Bellwether, op. cit.
34. Larry Myatt and Linda Nathan, "One School's Journey in the Age of Reform," Phi Delta Kappan, September 1996, pp. 24-25;
35. Linda Nathan and Larry Myatt, "A Journey Toward Autonomy," Phi Delta Kappan, December 1998, pp. 278-86.
36. Caroline M. Hoxby, "Analyzing School Choice Reforms That Use America's Traditional Forms of Parental Choice," in Paul E. Peterson and Bryan C. Hassel, eds., Learning from School Choice (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 1998), pp. 133-35.
37. Tyce Palmaffy, "No Excuses," Policy Review, January/February 1998, p. 19.
38. Remarks of the President and Mrs. Clinton, San Carlos Charter Learning Center, 29 September 1997, available on the Web at http://scclc.sancarlos.k12. ca.us.
39. Eric Rofes, How Are School Districts Responding to Charter Laws and Charter Schools? (Berkeley, Calif.: Policy Analysis for California Education, 1998);
40. see also Eric Rofes, idem, "The Catalyst Role of Charter Schools," School Administrator, August 1999, pp. 14-18;
41. David Osborne, "Healthy Competition: The Benefits of Charter Schools," reprinted in Selected Readings on School Reform (Washington, D.C.: Fordham Foundation, 1999), pp. 36-39.
42. John Erikson and Debra Silverman, with Paul Berman, Beryl Nelson, and Debra Solomon, Charter Schools: A Challenge or an Opportunity? The Impact of Charter Schools on Districts (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 1999).
43. Amy Stuart Wells' study of California charter schools arrived at similar findings. Wells found that there are seldom "mechanisms in place for charter schools and regular schools to learn from each other" and that "educators' belief that charter schools have an unfair advantage inhibits competition that would, in theory, force improvements." But she concludes - incorrectly, we believe - that "competition and cooperation ... are at odds with each other ... [and] that choice and competition often lead to greater stratification." Wells, pp. 54-58.
44. Rosenblum Brigham Associates, Innovation & Massachusetts Charter Schools (Boston: Massachusetts Department of Education, 1998), p. 26.
45. William Windler, "Colorado's Charter Schools: A Spark for Change and a Catalyst for Reform," Phi Delta Kappan, September 1996, pp. 66-69.
46. Robert C. Johnson, "California Reaches 'Historic' Charter Schools Agreement," Education Week, 6 May 1998.
47. Richard W. Riley, "Strengthening Education Through Innovation and Public School Choice," remarks to the National Charter School Conference, Washington, D.C., 4 November 1997.
48. Jon Keller, "Kerry Is Clueless About Charter Schools," Boston Globe, 26 August 1998, pp. 5-6.
49. Press Release, Office of Sen. John Kerry, Northeastern University, 16 June 1996, pp. 5-6.
50. Hugh Price, "Urban Education: A Radical Plan," Education Week, 8 December 1999, pp. 44, 29.
51. David Osborne, "Make 'Em All Charter Schools," Washington Post, 14 November 1999, p. B-3;
52. see also David Osborne, idem, "Healthy Competition."
53. From the General Accounting Office in Washington, D.C., see the following: Charter Schools: Issues Affecting Access to Federal Funds, September 1997;
54. Charter Schools: Recent Experiences in Accessing Federal Funds, March 1998;
55. Charter Schools: Federal Funding Available but Barriers Exist, April 1998.
56. See also Charter Schools: State Developments and Federal Policy Options (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, 1997).