A new report examines how low- to moderate-income parents decide to send their children to public charter schools, and challenges what it suggests are some stereotypes about those choices.
“Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2006" is available from the Center on Reinventing Public Education.
The study—published by the National Charter School Research Project at the Seattle-based Center on Reinventing Public Education—found, for instance, that charter school parents are just as sophisticated and well informed as parents who make different choices, which counters assertions that charter school parents generally do not have access to enough information to make good choices of schools.
The researchers for the study, from the University of Colorado at Denver, surveyed parents in three cities that have a number of school choice options: Denver, Milwaukee, and Washington. It also found that parents who selected charters had greater satisfaction than those who made a different choice of school.
