Charters & Choice
Charter schools. School Vouchers. Private Schools. Home Schooling. Staff Writer Arianna Prothero examined the implications of school choice for students, families, and education. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: School Choice & Charters, charter schools.
Federal
Feds Spent Hundreds of Millions on Charters That Shut Down or Never Opened, Report Says
The Network for Public Education, which strongly opposes charter schools, also highlights years of problems in the U.S. Department of Education's charter school grant program that were identified in a series of Office of Inspector General reports.
School Choice & Charters
Why, and Where, Charter School Teachers Unionize
With charter school strikes and unionization drives in the news, a new report looks at why, when, and where charter organization efforts happen.
School Choice & Charters
'No-Excuses' Charter Schools May Be Falling Out of Favor, Report Suggests
The numbers of proposed new charter schools known as "no-excuses" type charters has declined over the last five years, as have the rates of approval for such charters, according to new data from the National Association for Charter School Authorizers.
School Choice & Charters
Who Are the Students Attending Charter Schools With Low Graduation Rates?
More than half of the nearly 1,000 public high schools where fewer than 50 percent of students earn a diploma in four years are charters, according to an Education Week analysis of federal data. Here's a look at the demographics of those schools and how they compare to regular high schools with low grad rates.
School Choice & Charters
Why the 'Alternative School' Label Drastically Affects How Grad Rates Look for Charters
In one quarter of charter high schools, fewer than half of students graduate on time, according to a recent analysis of federal data by the Education Week Research Center. Ed Week also found that there are big variations in the number of alternative schools that states report to the federal government.
School Choice & Charters
Wis. Gov. to Seek Caps on Vouchers, Charters in Proposed Budget
Gov. Tony Evers is one of several Democratic governors to come into office this year calling for a pause to school choice expansion.
School Choice & Charters
Striking Teachers Are Targeting Charter Schools. But Are Charters Really a Threat?
Charter schools educate only about 7 percent of all public school students. But in some cities, charter schools have made significant inroads.
School Choice & Charters
California Governor Calls for Expert Panel on Charter Schools' Financial Impact
Following the Los Angeles teachers' strikes, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked the state schools chief to convene an expert panel on the effects of charters on the finances of traditional public schools.
School Choice & Charters
VIDEO: An 'Unschooling' Family Trusts Children to Guide Their Own Learning
Rather than adhering to a specific curriculum, families who "unschool" believe learning happens naturally and should be driven by a student's interests. Education Week spent a "school" day with the Matica family to see this decades-old approach to home schooling in action.
School Choice & Charters
VIDEO: 'Culturally Relevant' Education Drives African-American Family to Home School
Monica Utsey, a Washington, D.C. mother of two, wanted her sons to learn the full history of black people which has been a driving force in her decision to home school them. She's part of a small, but growing community of black parents opting to teach their children at home.
School Choice & Charters
VIDEO: Why This Military Family Home Schools
Like many home schooling military parents, Lindsay Jobe says that teaching her children at home gives the family educational stability during frequent relocations and flexibility when her husband Clifford is home from deployment.
School Choice & Charters
VIDEO: One Day With a Muslim Home Schooling Family
Parents who choose to teach their children at home are often stereotyped as devout Christians, but families from many religious backgrounds are drawn to home schooling as a means of incorporating religious studies into students' education.
Education
As L.A. Teachers Prepare to Strike, How Will Charter Schools Be Affected?
Educators at dozens of Los Angeles Unified's affiliated charter schools are expected to strike Monday with their traditional public school counterparts as a contract dispute remains unsettled.
School Choice & Charters
N.Y. Private Schools Didn't Have to Report Abuse to Police. A New Law Changes That.
Private schools in New York soon will be required to report suspected sexual abuse of students in their schools to law enforcement, bringing the independent schools under the same rules as public schools.
