A History of Charter Schools

Quick Define

• Charter Schools are funded by the Government
• They are not public schools
• They have somewhat independent decision making capabilities 
• They are free for students, but their funding comes with restrictions

Inception

• 1974
• Professor Ray Budde of Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst
• He wrote an article titled "Education by Charter"
• It inspired many towards the idea of public funded private schools
• Budde is known as the "father of charter schools"

Growing Necessity

• 1983: "A Nation at Risk" Publication by Reagan Administration
• Calls for national reform in public education system
• Budde becomes a popular text

Public Proposal

• 1988: Albert Shanker
• President of the American Federation of Teachers
• Advocates autonomy for schools, supports Budde
• Coins the name "Charter Schools"
• However, Shanker would eventually denounce them

Initiation

• 1991: Minnesota
• First State to pass a charter school bill
• Publicly funded, very independent
• Quickly become competition for public schools

Trending Legislature

• 1992: California
• Becomes the second state to pass charter legislation
• Eventually grows to have the largest charter school population
• Other states follow suit

Presidential Support

• 1994: Clinton Administration
• Includes Charter Grant in Elementary and Secondary Education Act
• States are incentivized to initiate charter legislation

No State Left Behind

• 2000s: Bush Administration
• President Bush includes charter schools in platform for presidency
• No Child Left Behind Act geared toward charter schools

Continued Support

• 2008 - Present: Obama Administration
• President Obama supports charter schools in platform
• Introduces Race to the Top, encourages states to lift caps on charters

Under Scrutiny

• Late 2000s - Present: Criticism grows nationally
• Unions against charter schools
• Too much competition/negative effects for public schools
• 2009 Stanford study shows charters perform same or worse

Current Status

• Despite criticism, charters are still growing
• Continued government support
• Only 8 states have yet to introduce charters into their systems