National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C.            Vol. 31, No. 9 * May 10, 1999

---

Previous story | Table of Contents | Next story

Are Charter Schools the Future of Education?

Since the establishment of the first charter school in Minnesota, nearly seven years ago, the concept has rapidly spread nationwide. In 1996, there were 252 charter schools in 10 states and now there are 700 schools in 27 states and the District of Columbia. These schools serve more than 250,000 students.

The charter school concept was originally designed to serve mainstream and gifted students, but as currently implemented, nearly half serve minority and at-risk students.

Many states have written charter school laws and legislation with strong policies on minority enrollment and at-risk provisions. Currently, 88 percent of all new charter schools cite service to at-risk youth as the primary reason for creation.

Fourteen of the 26 states with legislation permitting charter schools have laws that address the needs of at-risk youth. Many charter schools are opening in urban areas where the need for these schools is greatest. Experts believe that this trend is a wave of the future and that charter schools will continue to thrive in the inner cities because the need for them is greatest among minorities and the low-income population.

The original notion among educators about charter schools was that they would pull the most gifted and most privileged students out of the public school system. A recent study by the Center for School Reform, however, shows that half of the students in charter schools belong to minority groups (compared to one-third in conventional schools) and nearly 41 percent come from low-income families. The U.S. Department of Education found that nearly 36 percent of students in charter schools are eligible for subsidized meals. This varies widely among the states with only 5 percent eligible in schools in Alaska and 82 percent eligible in Louisiana. Minnesota, Massachusetts and Texas charter schools have the highest percentages of at-risk students enrolled as compared to all public school students.

Charter schools work because the teaching staff and the curriculum are designed to meet the needs of the school’s specific population.

Options for Youth, a California organization that runs three charter schools, uses many unconventional approaches to get and keep at-risk kids in school. First, they have an open-entry system that allows students to enroll and start school any day of the year. Second, they have an independent study program where students can set their own pace and can arrange their time in school so that it complements the other demands on their time such as personal family needs and work schedules.

Many opponents to the charter school concept feel that these schools take valuable resources away from conventional schools. Some of these opponents believe that investing the funds to improve existing programs to serve at-risk youth would be more beneficial than creating special facilities for them.

Since these schools have only been around for seven years, it is difficult to gauge their success and effectiveness, although current research shows that students are achieving success at a much higher rate than anyone thought. So far, only 2 percent of charter schools have not been able to meet the rigorous standards required.

If Michigan charter school students are any indication, the program is an astounding success. A recent study showed that 71 percent of seventh grade students in a Detroit charter school passed the Michigan Educational Assessment Program compared to an average of 22 percent for all seventh graders. Other studies have found very little significant difference in achievement.

Regardless of the controversy over the charter school movement, more and more are being started every day, making efforts to target students who are not being served well in the regular public schools.

Information used in this article was taken from State Trends, a publication of the Council of State Governments, Winter Issue, Volume 5, Issue 1. Additional information can also be found at http://edreform.com/charters.htm and http://www.uscharterschools.org/ and http://www.ed.gov/pubs/charter/.

(Research News was written by Jacqueline Byers, research director.)