Collaborations between public charter schools and their districts are on the rise, according to a report released last month from the Center for Reinventing Public Education, associated with the University of Washington Bothell.
The study says these connections come from districts’ realization that charter schools can play a role in providing quality options for students at risk of academic failure.
The report also notes that for the 2010-11 school year, 5,275 charter schools enrolled 1.8 million students nationwide, or about 4 percent of all public school students.
It also finds that charter schools, though still primarily located in urban areas, are enrolling a larger percentage of students in small towns and rural locations and that free-standing charter schools are spreading faster than those run by charter-management organizations.