Charter Schools

The Politics of Charter School Reforms

The charter idea is consistent with reforms that call for deregulation and decentralization of authority in education and other sectors. In looking for more efficient and effective ways of educating diverse students, some reformers sought alternative forms of educational provision free of traditional bureaucratic constraints. The idea of “contracting out” was extended beyond peripheral school services such as busing or food preparation to the delivery of schooling itself. Ray Budde first used [Page 116]the term charter in the late 1980s in outlining an alternative model, where teachers could form small schools based on common professional interests. The notion was further popularized in the early 1990s by journalist Ted Kolderie in seeking innovations in schooling. As the movement has spread, privately run educational management organizations such as Edison Schools and National Heritage Academies have pursued chartering as a way of increasing their participation in the publicly funded sector.

The movement represents a diverse coalition of various interests. Many traditionalists appreciate the opportunity to fashion privatelike schools that emphasize character, moral values, or basic skills in parentdirected school choices. Neoliberals such as the Democratic Leadership Council and the more conservative Center for Education Reform embrace the concept to bring market style competition into public education. Some teachers see this model as a means of experimenting with alternative approaches or focusing on a specific philosophy. Prominent members of the civil rights movement have endorsed the concept, seeing it as a way to empower minority communities or to level the playing field for disadvantaged children who have been denied the choices available to more affluent families. Republican and Democratic federal administrations have been active in promoting and financially supporting the charter movement, and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 specifies charter status as a possible alternative for failing schools.

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