School Choice & Charters Blog

Charters & Choice

Charter schools. School Vouchers. Private Schools. Home Schooling. Staff Writer Arianna Prothero examined the implications of school choice for students, families, and education. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: School Choice & Charters, charter schools.

School Choice & Charters Does the Tax Bill Help Fulfill Trump's $20 Billion School Choice Promise?
Although expanding 529 savings accounts to include private K-12 tuition is a big victory for school choice advocates under Trump, not all school choice supporters are on board with the idea.
Arianna Prothero, December 20, 2017
4 min read
School Choice & Charters Washington's Embattled Charter School Law Heads to State Supreme Court Again
It's been quite the political odyssey for Washington's charter school law which first passed by voter referendum in 2012. Here's why this case matters beyond the state.
Arianna Prothero, December 19, 2017
2 min read
Federal Cyber Charters Continue to Struggle: A State-by-State Look at Reports of Trouble
Explore local reports on cyber charters by state in this interactive map.
Arianna Prothero, December 14, 2017
1 min read
Education Funding Diversity in Charter Schools: Another Look at the Data and the Debate
Charter schools represent some of the most racially segregated schools in the U.S., according to a new analysis by the Associated Press, reviving a long-running debate inside and outside the charter sector.
Arianna Prothero, December 4, 2017
4 min read
School Choice & Charters School Voucher Programs Leave Parents in the Dark on Disability Rights, Feds Say
The vast majority of families using private school vouchers for children with disabilities are participating in programs that provide inaccurate or no information at all on the federal protections they are giving up, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Arianna Prothero, November 30, 2017
4 min read
School Choice & Charters School Choice Creates Challenges for Parents. What Are Cities Doing to Help?
Many low-income families are at a disadvantage when it comes to navigating lots of public schooling options. And competition between traditional schools and charter schools can get in the way of developing policies that will help.
Arianna Prothero, November 28, 2017
4 min read
School Choice & Charters Online Charter Schools in North Carolina Petition to Go From Pilot to Permanent
The state's two virtual charter schools have earned poor marks from the state's accountability system in the few years they've been operating.
Arianna Prothero, November 21, 2017
2 min read
School & District Management 'Precious Little Evidence' That Vouchers Improve Achievement, Recent Research Finds
Several new studies on large-scale voucher programs has complicated debates recently over private school choice—policies which allow families to use public money or aid to attend private schools, including religious ones.
Arianna Prothero, November 17, 2017
6 min read
School Choice & Charters Union-Backed Candidates Win Control of Key District in Battle Over Vouchers
The union victory will likely spell the end of a Colorado county's school-voucher program as well as a high-profile lawsuit that could have become a vehicle for expanding vouchers across the country.
Arianna Prothero, November 8, 2017
2 min read
School Choice & Charters This District Is the Latest Front in the Fight Over School Choice
Two things are at stake: the pro-school choice majority on school board in Colorado's Douglas County and the fate of a lawsuit over school vouchers that could land back in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Arianna Prothero, November 2, 2017
3 min read
School Choice & Charters The Only National Black School Choice Advocacy Group Is Folding
The Black Alliance for Educational Options has been advocating for school choice for low-income and working class African-American families for nearly 20 years.
Arianna Prothero, October 25, 2017
3 min read
Bill Gates detailed new investments by his foundation in K-12 education at the Council of the Great City Schools’ annual conference in Cleveland.
Bill Gates detailed new investments by his foundation in K-12 education at the Council of the Great City Schools’ annual conference in Cleveland.
Clarence Tabb Jr./CGCS
School Choice & Charters Bill Gates Plans to Invest in Charter Schools' Big Weak Spot: Special Education
Gate's newest investment is particularly relevant because the charter school sector has long struggled with serving students with disabilities.
Arianna Prothero, October 20, 2017
2 min read
School Choice & Charters Charter Schools in New York Can Now Certify Their Own Teachers
This is potentially the first time a charter school authorizer anywhere in the country has allowed the schools it oversees to certify their own teachers, and the move is drawing criticism from some of New York's top education officials.
Arianna Prothero, October 12, 2017
1 min read
School Choice & Charters This Charter School Network Is Grading Its Parents Too
One of the largest charter school networks has begun scoring its parents on how well they support their children in school, taking the idea of parent accountability to a new level.
Arianna Prothero, October 11, 2017
3 min read