What's Public About Charter Schools?

Preface Outline of the Book Acknowledgments About the Authors Chapter 1: Charter Schools and Privatization - With Christopher Lubienski What Are Chater Schools? A Crash Course in the Charter Concept Accountability to Whom? The New Politics of Education What's Public About Charter Schools? Formalist and Functionalist Views of Public-ness Chapter 2: Shifting From Public to Private: Historical and Political Backdrop Charter Schools in the National and International Context The Public-Private Pendulum in Michigan The Emergence of Michigan's Charter School Law Chapter 3: The Charter School Reform in Michigan The Charter School Concept in Michigan The Growth and Development of Michigan Charter Schools Chapter 4: Charter School Finance - With F. Howard Nelson How Michigan Funds Charter Schools General Fund Expenditures Case Studies of Charter School and School District Revenues and Expenditures The Cost Advantage of Charter Schools Chapter 5: Choice and Access Distribution by Grade Racial/Ethnic Composition of the Charter Schools Income, Family Structure, and Other Characteristics Special Education--or the Lack of It--in Michigan Charter Schools Beyond Demographics: Reasons for Choosing Charter Schools Chapter 6: Teachers' Characteristics and Working Conditions Teacher Demographics Certification and Qualification of Teachers Reasons to Seek Employment at a Charter School Working Conditions and Levels of Satisfaction Chapter 7: Innovation and Impact Impact on Surrounding School Districts Impacts on Educational Practice The Diffusion of Charter School Innovations and Practices Chapter 8: Student Achievement Michigan in National Context Assessing Charter School Impacts in Michigan A Summary of the Findings EMOs and Student Achievement Chapter 9: Customer Satisfaction Nontest Indicators of Academic Performance Satisfaction With and Accomplishment of Mission Satisfaction With Curriculum and Instruction Satisfaction With Facilities and Available Resources The Relationship Between Market and Performance Accountability Chapter 10: The Effects of Education Management Organizations The Growth of EMO Involvement in Charter Schools Roles and Types of EMOs Ownership of Charter Schools and the Problem of Bundling Control and Governance of Charter Schools: Is the Tail Wagging the Dog? Operating Charter Schools for Profit: Strategies and Consequences Chapter 11: Lessons in Choice and Accountability What's Public About Michigan Charter Schools? A Review of the Evidence Are Charter Schools a Good Public Investment? The Question of Efficiency Diagnoses and Prescriptions for Charter School Laws The Future of Choice and Accountability Appendix A: Key Historical Developments in Michigan That Have Affected the Public and Private Nature of Schooling Appendix B: Background and Supporting Documentation for Analysis of Student Achievement Appendix C: List of EMOs and the Number of Schools They Operated in 2000-01 References Index