A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

How To Use This Document

The wide variations in law and the continued rapid growth of charter legislation have sparked the creation of this, The Charter School Roadmap.

This publication is designed to guide policymakers through areas they need to examine in their initial consideration of charter schools or their reevaluation of existing charter school legislation. Each section briefly outlines an issue and includes a few examples of what states are doing in that area.

The important points most often advanced by advocates of that position are highlighted to provoke discussion and make policymakers aware of available options. Statutory language is provided in Appendix A.

While reading through this document, some issues should be considered at all stages of developing charter school legislation:

• Consistency: The issues discussed in the document are treated separately, but must eventually come together to form a cohesive charter school policy. For example, state officials should decide the level of autonomy they want to grant charter schools and keep this in mind while considering other design options. If they grant maximum autonomy in one area, it might not make sense to restrict it in another.

• Context: It is important to assess the state context to ensure the effectiveness of charter school legislation. Some states are more district-oriented in making education policy, while others are more centralized. Legislators need to determine what change they want to make and how this change will fit with existing policies. Will legislation enhance the current set of reform policies, leverage the desired change or, in reality, add little value?

• Politics: The political landscape must be taken into account when drafting charter school legislation. It is difficult to pass legislation that grants charter schools maximum autonomy without strong support inside and outside the state legislature. As with any policy that can challenge the status quo, creating charter school legislation is a lengthy, complicated process.

When working through these issues of consistency, context and politics, policymakers should keep the overall purposes of charter school legislation in focus. Charter school legislation can give states an opportunity to try out new governing ideas, add flexibility to the existing system, and provide parents, teachers and students with more options. It also can add new layers of state or local control. Whatever a state’s purposes for enacting charter school legislation, this publication can help policymakers identify major issues and examine available options.

[Introduction]

[Charter School Basics]

This page was last updated January 9, 2002 (jca)