Overview: Can Charter Schools Become a Crossover Hit? (HFR '09)

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January 2010
Robin Lake

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The charter movement has evolved dramatically over the past 18 years. Once considered mainly an escape valve for a set of unhappy parents and fringe community groups, the charter sector has increasingly responded to the call for more consistent quality, has shown it can replicate high-performing schools faster than school districts ever have, and has introduced us all to fundamentally new models of gap-closing public schools.

Still, charter schooling has by no means hit the mainstream. If charters were a band, they might be under an independent label, played by college radio stations. According to a recent Gallup Poll, most Americans still have little or no knowledge of what charter schools are.1 As discussed in chapter 1, National Charter School Research Project (NCSRP) data show that 89 percent of American school districts have no charter schools within their boundaries, perhaps in large measure because so many school districts are so very small. In public education reform circles, charter schools are still generally viewed as idiosyncratic—nice idea, but not likely to fundamentally improve American schools. Earlier this year, many of the foundations that used to support charter schools signaled that they were turning to other popular reforms, such as efforts to improve teacher quality or investing in state data systems.

Remarkably, however, chartering is suddenly back in vogue thanks to unprecedented attention from President Barack Obama and his Department of Education. From well-publicized charter school visits to central placement of charters in key economic stimulus programs, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President Obama have repeatedly sent the message that they view charter schools as an essential component of K–12 education reform strategies. As a result, states are now scrambling to lift charter school caps and to figure out how they can incorporate charters in efforts to turn around low-performing schools. Even foundation boards are turning back to charter investments.

Will all of this move charters from the margins to the mainstream? Can charter schools cross over to the pop charts and play in major state accountability efforts, major urban school reforms, and, finally, in the public consciousness? That is not yet clear. There are a number of critical tests ahead for the charter school sector. This volume of Hopes, Fears, & Reality explores these issues.