There has been much attention lavished on the subject of charter schools recently. The proposal of the Red Rock Academy in Berthoud has brought out a lot of emotion and rhetoric by those for and those against the charter school

Much has been written about charter schools in the United States and those articles may help shed some light on charter schools in general.

One of the most important questions is whether charter schools are superior to public schools. The answer seems to be “It depends.”

I have compiled several articles so that it is convenient to read in one place.

Flint Journal

Are charter schools better than traditional public schools? Not necessarily

Published: Monday, May 18, 2009,

By Kristin Longley

GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan — Tameka Thompson had a feeling that enrolling her daughter in the International Academy of Flint three years ago would pay off — and so far it has.

Not only is her daughter making the grade, but the charter school itself also is pulling in high honors for its academic achievement among the urban population it serves.

But that’s not always the case with local charter schools, most of them created a decade ago to provide parents with more choice in their child’s education. Read More

Huffington Post

The Uncomfortable Truth About Charter Schools

By Larry Strauss
Veteran high school English teacher, basketball coach, novelist

The proliferation of charter schools has become one of the most divisive issues in public education. Proponents tout the successes of some and generalize it to all. They promote charters as desperately needed alternative to neighborhood schools they call “drop-out factories.” Opponents characterize charter schools as anti-union agenda-driven corporate saboteurs of public education and labor unions. Read More

Deseret News

Are charter schools better alternatives to public schools and at what cost?

By Sara Lenz

Over the past couple of decades, charter schools have been touted as better alternatives to traditional public schools, with smaller class sizes and a result-oriented atmosphere. President Obama has said that he supports high-quality charter schools and encourages states to lift limits on charter schools. Read More

Techno.blog

Public Schools vs. Charter Schools: Facts not Myths

A new national study re-ignites the debate over the promise and limitations of charter schools. Created as alternatives to failing public schools, charter schools were supposed to offer more innovation and less bureaucracy. But what about academic achievement? Read More

The Christian Science Monitor

Study: On average, charter schools do no better than public schools

By Amanda Paulson,

More evidence is in that charter schools – at least on average – do no better than regular public schools.

Middle-school students who were selected by lottery to attend charter schools performed no better than their peers who lost out in the lottery and attended nearby public schools, according to a study funded by the federal government and released Tuesday. Read More

GreatSchools.org

Are charter schools better?

By Carol Lloyd

Charter schools. In some education circles, these two words are enough to ignite a spitting match of statistics and impassioned rhetoric.  Read More