A Short History of Charter Schools in the U.S.
January 7, 2014

The Pre-History of Charters
Economic theory and vouchers
Milton Friedman introduced the idea of vouchers as an antidote to
“public school monopoly” as early as 1955, although many date this to
Capitalism & Freedom (1962).

The Pre-History of Charters
The Complication of Race
Segregation by State, 1954
Prohibited by law
Determined by local option
Not legislated
Required by law

The Pre-History of Charters
The Complications of Race
Prince Edward County, Virginia
– Closed public system in 1959
– White families transferred to private academy
– Tuition grants and tax credits to families
– Justice Black: “…could not be clearer that [P.E. schools] were closed and private schools operated in their place with state and county assistance, for one reason, and one reason only…”
[Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, 1964]

The Pre-History of Charters
The Complications of Race
– Friedman: “The state of Virginia has adopted a plan having many features in common with that outlined in the preceding chapter.
Though adopted for the purpose of avoiding compulsory integration, I predict that the ultimate effects of the law will be very different….”
– If the conclusions of my argument are correct, if Virginia’s voucher system is not abolished, “we should see a flowering of schools available in Virginia, with an increase in their diversity, a substantial if not spectacular rise in the quality of the leading schools, and a later rise in the quality of the rest under the impetus of the leaders.”

Vouchers as a Hard Sell
"I've long argued that more choice would lead to better education."

The Pivot to Public School Choice
“Repackaging” Magnet Schools
•Magnet schools are “one of the great successes of the education reform movement.” - President Reagan, January 21 1988
•''There has been a shift…Republicans and conservatives have come to realize that the Federal role in education is here to stay and that you ought not to blow it up. They also recognize that it is silly to concede the education issue to the Democrats.'’
- Secretary of Education, William Bennett, January 25, 1988

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
First Charter Law in Minnesota
• Minnesota’s vision had less to do with markets than decentralization and variety.
• But nationally charters became proxy battle ground over vouchers.
• Origin myths and the controversy over “What
Al Shanker Really
Thought.”

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
1991

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
1992

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
1993

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
1994

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
1995

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
1996

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
1997

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
1998

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
1999

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
2001

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
2002

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
2003

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
2010

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
2011

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination
2012

Charters: Emergence, Legislative Spread,
& The Battle Over Framing
Rapid Dissemination

Expansion & Maturation

Expansion
Growth in Number of Charter Schools
Total Number of Schools (1999 – 2013)

Maturation
Total Number of Charter Schools by State
None/No Data
Fewer than 50
51 - 100
101 - 200
201 - 300
301 - 500
501 - 1000
More than 1000

Maturation
Percentage of Charter Schools to Public Schools by State
None/No Data
1 to 5%
6 to 10%
11 to 20%
More than 20%

Maturation
From Mom & Pop to Networks

Maturation
From Mom & Pop to Networks: Variation by State

Maturation
Managing Charter Systems
Total Number of Authorizers by Type, 2012
LEA, 876
Other, 98
HEI, 43
ICB, 13
NEG, 3
NFP, 19
SEA, 20

Maturation
Top 10 Districts with the Largest Market Share
Roosevelt S.D. (Phoenix)
27%
Gary 35%
Kansas City
36%
Flint 36%
Toledo 27%
Indianapolis
28%
Detroit 51%
Cleveland
29%
Albany 27%
Grand Rapids
26%
Philadelphia
28%
District of
Columbia
43%
Dayton 28%
Hall County
32%
San Antonio
26% New Orleans 79%

Final Thoughts
Privatization Typology
• Pragmatic: A tool to make government more effective, efficient, responsive.
• Tactical: A weapon for advancing personal, organizational, or partisan interests by attracting new allies, and rewarding supporters.
• Systemic: A strategy for fundamentally reducing the role of government by lowering expectations of what government should and can do, reducing oversight and enforcement infrastructure, and altering the landscape of interest groups so that there is reduced support for government growth.

References
• Slide 3:
• Wikipedia , “School Segregation in the United States,” Last modified
April 7, 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_segregation_in_the_United_State s
• Slides 11-28:
• The Center for Education Reform (CER), 2013 Charter School Law
Ranking and Scorecard, Washington, DC: CER, 2013. https://www.edreform.com/2013/01/2013-charter-law-ranking-chart/
•
Slides 29-31:
• National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS), “Total Number of Schools, 201213,” In The Public Charter Schools Dashboard,
Washington, DC: NAPCS, 2014. http://dashboard.publiccharters.org/dashboard/schools/year/2013

References
• Slides 33-34:
• Gary Miron and Charisse Gulosino, "Profiles of for-Profit and Nonprofit
Education Management Organizations: Fourteenth Edition —2011-2012,"
Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center, University of Colorado,
2013. http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/emo-profiles-11-12.pdf
• Slide 35:
• National Alliance of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), “The State of
Charter School Authorizing 2012: 5th Annual Report on NACSA’s Annual
Survey,” Chicago, IL: NACSA, 2012. http://www.qualitycharters.org/assets/files/Documents/Publications/2012%2
0Facts%20Report.pdf
• Slide 36:
• National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS), “A Growing
Movement: America’s Largest Charter School Communities,” Washington,
DC: NAPCS, 2013. http://www.publiccharters.org/publications/growingmovement-americas-largest-charter-school-communities-8th-edition/