Debate Revs Up around Closing Low-Achieving Charter Schools

Autor/in	Cavanagh, Sean
Titel	Debate Revs Up around Closing Low-Achieving Charter Schools
Quelle	In: Education Week, 32 (2012) 1, S.1 (3 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0277-4232
Schlagwörter	Charter Schools; Low Achievement; School Closing; Academic Standards; Educational Policy; Politics of Education; Board of Education Role; Performance Factors; Debate; School Restructuring; Accountability; Educational Administration + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Charter school; Charter-Schule; Unterdurchschnittliche Leistung; School closings; Schule; Schließung; Schließung (von Schulen); Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Educational policy; Leistungsindikator; Debating; Streitgespräch; Schulreformplan; Schulumwandlung; Verantwortung; Bildungsverwaltung; Schuladministration; Schulverwaltung
Abstract	One of the most vexing questions about charter schools--when low-performing ones should be shut down--is receiving new attention, amid concerns that lax and inconsistent standards for closing them will undermine the public's confidence in the sector. Over the past few years, a growing number of researchers, policymakers, and charter school backers have called for removing obstacles to closing academically struggling schools, though many barriers remain. Numerous states have approved laws in recent years that have raised or clarified standards for charter school performance, while also establishing policies to make it easier for charters to open and secure facilities and public funding. Even so, state and local policies vary greatly in their expectations for charter schools, and in the standards they set for authorizers--the state, local, or independent entities typically charged with approving charters and overseeing their performance. According to a report released this year, the nationwide rate of closure of charters schools up for renewal has actually fallen over the past three years, which could be interpreted as a sign of improved quality, weaker oversight, or some combination of both. Another recent estimate shows that the percentage of charters in different states that have shut their doors varies widely--from zero to 5 percent in some states to well over 20 percent in others. Debates about the standards for closing struggling charters are nothing new, either in the context of broader policy discussions or in communities weighing the performance of individual schools. But the issue has received more intense focus lately from pro-charter groups that say they want to ensure that the sector, which has grown fairly steadily for two decades, is held to high standards. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Editorial Projects in Education. 6935 Arlington Road Suite 100, Bethesda, MD 20814-5233. Tel: 800-346-1834; Tel: 301-280-3100; e-mail: customercare@epe.org; Web site: http://www.edweek.org/info/about/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10