From zero in 1991 to 3,800 eighteen years later, charter schools (public schools under contract) today educate well over a million students. This updated, second edition examines the unusual experiment that is charter education and the controversies that surround public choice and charter schools as a means of educational reform.

• Written by experts in the field, this all-inclusive volume looks at what motivates the rise of charter schools, from the frustrations of parents, teachers, and students, to the expectations of community members
• Offers a critical perspective on key school programs and curriculum design, and provides analyses of race, class, and special education needs as they affect charter schools
• Critically examines the record and curriculum of charter schools, the laws that govern them, the circumstances that surround them, and how both legislation and politics define and maintain the charter school movement
• Updated Directory of organizations, associations, and government agencies associated with the movement, along with selected print and non-print resources such as union and government publications, books, and journals
• Updated Chronology of Events
• New Primary Documents section
• Four Appendixes: Comparison of State Standard Development & Charter School Requirements, State Testing Requirements, Admission Policies, and Teacher Professionalism
• Cumulative index
• Available in print and ebook formats

As charter schools continue to increase in number, this text will be a useful addition to the reference collection of public libraries, university libraries and education departments, along with high school libraries and school districts

Click Table of Contents.

Click Sample Pages.