Charter Schools

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday in a case that could transform public education in the Unites States. For the first time, the justices are being asked to decide whether overtly religious schools may be publicly funded charter schools.

Like 45 other states, Oklahoma has enacted a charter school system to allow some schools more flexibility, autonomy and specialization.

Microschools have experienced a boom in popularity since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.   

The tiny schools, which have a median student body size of 16, have been described as a modern reinvention of the one-room school house, where children of varying ages receive personalized instruction from a teacher in the same room.   

Supporters view them as liberating. Skeptics, however, worry over their educational quality.  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Modern education faces many challenges that can place students in difficult situations they're eager to escape.

Unfortunately, students in Pennsylvania public schools have few places to turn to if they are unsatisfied with their home district.

"This is a public education problem," said Brian Hayden, CEO of PA Cyber.

The state commissioned brick-and-mortar charter schools in 1997, followed by cyber charter schools in 2002, giving parents and students an alternative to traditional public schools.

Charter schools provide students with greater educational gains per dollar spent than traditional public schools (TPS). That's the finding of a new report from University of Arkansas researchers that studied public and charter schools across nine American cities. Despite receiving far less money per pupil than TPS, students in charter schools perform better and are estimated to earn more per dollar invested in their education

The nation’s first religious charter school was approved in Oklahoma on Monday, handing a victory to Christian conservatives, but opening the door to a constitutional battle over whether taxpayer dollars can directly fund religious schools.

Despite a recent Texas House vote to prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars for private education, Gov. Greg Abbott pledged on Tuesday that a Texas school choice initiative would pass “this session.”

“One size does not fit all. No one in government knows better than mom and dad about which education option is the best for their child and that is what we will deliver this session,” said Abbott.

Asian-American parents delivered a simple message to Democratic New York lawmakers Friday: Lift the charter school cap!

“We pay so many taxes. We have a right as parents and children to the best education, best schools and best academics for all our children,” said parent Judy Wong, during a rally outside the Department of Education headquarters in lower Manhattan.

In the end, nobody got the money they wanted. 

The months-long effort to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes for Indianapolis Public Schools had adversaries from the start. 

The money was meant to fund the district’s Rebuilding Stronger plan, a massive reorganization to expand academic offerings, reconfigure grades, and make IPS schools more attractive to students as the district loses students to charter schools.