SURVEY OF CHARTER SCHOOLS 1998-1999

MULTIPLE AUTHORITIES LEAD TO MORE CHARTERS

        A review of who grants charters (Figure 5) illustrates the impact of different state charter laws. Overall, agencies other than local school boards authorize more charters than any other chartering authority; 57 percent of charters are granted by alternative sponsoring authorities. 

        Local school boards, however, grant 43 percent of charters in this survey. A state-by-state analysis of charter-authorizing bodies, moreover, indicates that local school boards are more likely to grant charters when the state law allows alternative bodies, such as state school boards and universities, to authorize charters. Only 4.5 percent of charter schools are in the 11 states that allow only local school boards to grant charters, and on average, states with multiple chartering authorities or appeals process have 91 percent more charter schools than states where local school boards are the only charter-granting body. California and Michigan, for example, allow for multiple chartering bodies or appeals, and these two states are home to more than 25 percent of all charter schools in the United States. (Further data on chartering authorities can be found in Figure 5a in the Appendices.) 

Figure 5: Charter-Granting Bodies

(294 schools responding)

Note: Write-in responses for "Other" included various county agencies and some overlap is suggested by the survey data. CER’s National Charter School Directory 1998-1999 found that nationally, 42 percent of charters were sponsored by a local agency (generally a local school board), and 57 percent were sponsored by an alternative public agency, such as the state board of education, a specifically created charter sponsoring body, or a college or university.

· · ·

Link to Excerpts of Charter Schools Today Report, including:

• Table of Contents

• Chapter 5: Survey of Charter Schools 1998-1999

Also: Selected Response From Individual Charter Schools:
        Successes
        Challenges
        Growth and Future Plans
        Academic and Other Programs
        Additional Comments

· · ·

Survey of Charter Schools 1998-1999 is part of Charter Schools Today: Changing the Face of American Education. The entire report is available for $19.95 + $3.00 shipping and handling. Order your copy on our publications page, or by calling CER at (202) 822-9000.

Charter Schools Today: Changing the Face of American Education is published by The Center for Education Reform [CER] a national, independent, non-profit advocacy organization founded in 1993 to provide support and guidance to individuals, community and civic groups, policymakers and others who are working to bring fundamental reforms to their schools. For more information on charter school efforts, call CER at (202) 822-9000, or visit our Charter School Library.