A US education reform movement advocating publicly funded but independently operated schools, freed from many of the regulations governing traditional public schools in exchange for accountability to a performance-based charter, typically granted by a state or local authorizer. The first US charter school law was enacted in Minnesota in 1991, and the movement expanded rapidly through the 1990s and 2000s, drawing support across the political spectrum for its promise of innovation and parental choice, and criticism over its effects on traditional public school funding, segregation and mixed evidence on academic outcomes.
Facts
Key ProvisionAdvocates publicly funded, independently operated schools accountable to a performance-based charter rather than standard public-school regulation; first enacted in Minnesota in 1991. 1 Enacted / Adopted Year Classification
Policy TypeFunding or Finance Policy 1 FAQs
What happens if a charter school does not meet its charter?
A charter can be revoked if its conditions are not met.
A charter school trades some freedom from state and local rules for accountability. The charter exempts the school from certain state or local rules and regulations, and in return the school must meet the accountability standards written into its charter. The body that granted the charter reviews it periodically, and the charter can be revoked if its conditions are not met, which is how a charter school can be closed.
How many students attend charter schools in the United States?
3.7 million students in fall 2021.
Federal education statistics show that public charter school enrollment more than doubled between fall 2010 and fall 2021, from 1.8 million to 3.7 million students. Those figures cover the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and they describe 2021 rather than today.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationDescription, policy-kind classificationQuote, Description, policy-kind classification
The first US charter school law was enacted in Minnesota in 1991, and the movement expanded rapidly through the 1990s and 2000s, drawing support across the political spectrum for its promise of innovation and parental choice, and criticism over its effects on traditional public school funding, segregation and mixed evidence on academic outcomes.
Wikipedia: Curriculum
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