Good news for charters is good news for students and teachers

Opportunity

This is National Charter Schools Week and there is good news. Charter schools are in high demand, they serve students well and they empower teachers and parents to be more actively involved in education.

A few quick reminders about charter schools.

Charter schools are public schools operated independently of school boards. Every charter school must follow federal and state education laws, and they are overseen by bodies called “authorizers.” Ninety percent of authorizers are local school boards. For more information check out our 2-minute explanation.

Over three million students attend approximately 7,000 charter schools across the nation.

Forty-four states have adopted charter school laws along side Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam. The first charter school law was passed in Minnesota in 1991, and the most recent charter law was passed in Puerto Rico in 2018.

Good news

Charter school demand remains high. According to some estimates, the demand for charter schools could outnumber currently enrolled students by almost three-to-one.

Charter schools are serving students well.

Charter schools are good for teachers and for parents. As part of our ongoing work to understand why people start charter schools, we surveyed dozens of charter founders. Here’s what we learned.

Stay tuned and keep reading this week to find out more good news.

Solution Areas:

Private Education Choice

Topics:

Charter Schools

About the Author

Sam Duell is the Policy Director for Charter Schools at ExcelinEd.

Solution Areas:

Private Education Choice, Public Education Choice