Charter School Guide and Tool Kit for School Board Members
This provides a quick study of various types of charter schools and their differences among states. Since Minnesota passed the first charter school law in 1991, the number of charter schools across the nation has steadily increased. As of July 2012, there are over 5,600 public charter schools operating in 40 states and the District of Columbia (two charters are scheduled to open in October in Maine, the 41st state that passed a charter law). Charter schools account for approximately 5.5 percent of all public schools, and serve approximately two million students, accounting for 4.2 percent of all public school students. Over the last decade alone, the number of students enrolled in charter schools more than tripled.
This is designed to assist school boards in reviewing charter applications and/or preparing for a new charter school in the community including suggested questions school boards should ask and consider.
To help school board members address charter school issues in their districts, NSBA has also created an accompanying toolkit that includes essential terms for school board members to know and pertinent questions to ask.