|
WASHINGTON, March 9, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
Accountability Report: Charter Schools, released by the Center for Education
Reform (CER), shows that nearly 18 years since the first charter school opened,
individual state data indicates that charter schools are outpacing their
conventional public school peers with fewer resources and tremendous obstacles.
Just as importantly, the report illustrates, the data also proves charter
schools are being held accountable for these results.
In 1991 when the first charter school law was passed in
Minnesota, the idea was simple--give parents and teachers a choice and allow
schools to operate with freedom and flexibility in exchange for accountability.
If charter schools failed to educate or attract enough students to remain
financially viable, they would be closed.
What is clear from CER's analysis in The Accountability
Report: Charter Schools is that in states with strong charter school laws, and
where good data is available to all parties, charter schools are making notable
gains. Those schools that have not performed, especially in states whose laws
ensure objective oversight from independent authorizers, have been closed.
Research also shows that accountability is lost in states
with weak charter laws and poor processes to vet schools and collect student
assessment data. About ten percent of the nation's closed charter schools were
closed for reasons that had nothing to do with the quality of the charter
school, but everything to do with a hostile policy environment.
"Accountability lies at the heart of the charter school concept," says Jeanne
Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform. "The singular focus on
student achievement challenges all public schools to raise the bar. Knowing how
charter schools are held accountable is a guidepost for all engaged in educating
our nation's youth."
To learn more about The Accountability Report: Charter Schools
and to obtain copies of the report, please visit CER's website dedicated to the
project at
http://www.edreform.com/accountability.
|
